MOHAVE COUNTY, AZ — Mohave County sheriff’s investigators are again trying to identify a man found dead at Lake Havasu more than 25 years ago. The body, discovered in a sleeping bag on Oct. 7, 2000, had been shot multiple times and was found by a boater near Sand Isle Cove.
Detectives say the case has long been treated as a homicide, but the man has never been publicly identified. Investigators now believe he may have been dumped there after being killed somewhere else.
How the body was found
According to MCSO, the man was inside the sleeping bag headfirst and in a fetal position, with several personal items that were meant to help identify him. Investigators said the condition of the remains showed he had been in the water for a significant period before discovery.
Autopsy findings described him as a white male between his 20s and 40s, about 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9, and weighing 140 to 160 pounds. The cause of death was listed as gunshot wounds.
Clues from his belongings
Some of the strongest evidence came from the items found with the body, which investigators still refer to as “Sleeping Bag Man.” Those items included white tennis shoes, blue jeans, a Hot Boat Magazine T-shirt, a Casio digital watch, a multi-purpose tool pouch and a flashlight marked with the initials JKP.
Investigators said the magazine shirt may have been especially useful because Hot Boat Magazine was local to the Lake Havasu area at the time. The sheriff’s office has also shared a forensic sketch from 2001 in hopes someone recognizes the man.
DNA work and genealogy
In October 2023, investigators exhumed the body to obtain a DNA profile and added it to databases such as GEDmatch. Lori Miller of the sheriff’s Special Investigations Unit said the goal is to find a close enough genetic match to identify the man through family connections.
So far, Miller said, the closest results have been too distant to solve the case. She continues to check the databases and hopes a future DNA submission will create a usable lead.
Possible Utah lead
One name has drawn attention in the investigation: Dennis Lee Anderson of Murray, Utah. Miller said online missing-person records and entries in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, led detectives to follow up with Utah investigators.
That lead is still being checked against DNA testing, and Miller said it remains the only one she considers potentially certifiable at this point. The sheriff’s office has also posted information about the case on social media in hopes of reaching someone who recognizes the description or the belongings.
How detectives define success
Miller said the unit’s motto is “justice for the forgotten,” and in older cases that often means restoring a name rather than securing a prosecution. She said identifying the person and returning him to his family is the most meaningful outcome they can still hope for.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office at 928-753-0753 ext. 4408. Investigators say even a small tip could help move the case forward.
Utah, from the Wasatch to the border – Chambyte has it covered.