Murder of Atcel Olmedo

Atcel Olmedo (previously known as the DuPage Johnny Doe) was an American toddler who was allegedly murdered by his abusive stepfather and his mother in 2005 and disposed of in Naperville, Illinois. His body was not positively identified until 2011, after one of his six siblings came forward. The case received national attention and was broadcast on several different television shows and examining forensic evidence on the body was analyzed to assist with his future identification. His case remains unprosecuted; the suspects have not been located, and they have possibly left the United States. Discovery: A small body was found in Naperville, DuPage County, Illinois by a man walking his dog. The corpse had been wrapped in a blue laundry bag that was disposed of alongside the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88). It was clothed in a blue button-down collared shirt with matching pants. The remains were decomposed beyond recognition, deceased for several weeks, although it may have been up to one year. The medical examiner determined that the body was that of a Hispanic, Native American or Asian male between three and five years old with black hair. His eye color and exact cause of death were impossible to determine due to the state of his remains. He was interred following a plot-side service in October 2007, in a donated plot, accompanied by a teddy bear the both of which were covered by a multi-design decorated blanket. Investigation: The clothing that the then-unidentified victim wore, Faded Glory, was traced to Walmart, its exclusive retailer. They were presumed to have been purchased in the same town the body found, at the Walmart nearby. The company assisted with the investigation, as they released for review all records of purchases of the items; only one sale could not be traced as it was a cash purchase. His footprints were taken and compared to those from hospitals in the area, but did not match any of the records. By studying isotopes from his body, he was believed to have lived in Illinois for most, if not all, of his short life. The analysis also indicated that his mother had lived in the northern part of the continent, where she spent most of her pregnancy.[ In 2005, an investigator from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children became involved in Olmedo's case. Its solving was made a priority by the organization resulting from it being "profiled". The evidence was compared to at least twelve missing boys from Illinois and other missing children in the United States who were of the same age range and race. His face was also forensically reconstructed many times in 3D and 2D, along with a digital rendering to give an approximation of his likeness when he was alive. To assist with the search for the victim's identity, television shows, such as America's Most Wanted and Without a Trace broadcast the case. The local police department was working on a child abuse case in early 2008 when they believed that the boy may have been a victim of the same person. A girl, who later turned out to be his sister, explained her stepfather had subjected her to violent beating which left visible wounds on her body. Identification: Olmedo was identified through DNA comparison after his sister revealed while in foster care that she believed that the unidentified body was her brother, as her grandmother had told her in 2006 that he had been murdered a month before his third birthday. His demise is allegedly due to the abuse of their stepfather and his mother. Atcel's parents returned from Mexico to the United States without Atcel. His sister asked the whereabouts of her brother. She noticed that when ever the missing Atcel was mentioned his siblings would be beaten by the parents. Officials have been unable to locate his mother and stepfather, who may have fled to Mexico. Neither of the suspected perpetrators of the crime have been officially charged, which is why their names have not been released. After Atcel was identified, the boy's name was finally added to the headstone which also states the date his remains were found and the inscription "Son, Unknown, but not forgotten". An $11,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the killers.