Murdered Teen Finally Identified: Now Police Want to Catch His Killer

Kenneth Nevada Williams, 15, was a John Doe who lay unclaimed since 1978.

Kenny in his yearbook photo (Image: Long Beach Police Department)

Authorities in Long Beach, California have announced that a murder victim whose body was found in 1978 has finally been given back his identity thanks to DNA technology.

‘John Doe 1978’ was really Kenneth Nevada Williams, a free-spirited 15-year-old from La Puente who dreamed of a fun-filled life — and whose family never gave up hope of seeing him again.

Off on adventures

Kenny was a student at Sierra Vista Middle School in 1977 before moving to Fairgrove Academy that October. His last known attendance at school was October 27th 1977.

However, Kenny wasn’t keen on being tied down and regularly decided to go off on adventures, his sister Roxanne Jones told the Press and Telegram.

“Once he hit puberty, he just kind of started to want to go out and be on his own. We lived in the suburbs, but he didn’t want that life, he didn’t want to go to school, he wanted to find something fun to do,” she added.

Kenny had already been to Hollywood, downtown LA and Newport Beach on his escapades, which usually resulted in a family member tracking him down and…