New DNA technology identifies remains found in Minnesota as World War II veteran from El Paso

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Investigators used the latest DNA technology to identify the remains of a missing World War II veteran and El Paso native. For the past ten years, the real identity of Freeborn County John Doe was unknown. The skeletal remains were found near Albert Lea, Minnesota in April 2015. Now, the remains have been identified as Luis Gilberto Robledo.

Genetic genealogists with the DNA Doe Project worked pro bono to identify Robledo. The project says its genealogists were concerned at first about the potential difficulty in identifying Robledo, as the Hispanic population is underrepresented in some DNA databases. Luckily, Robledo had a number of close DNA matches already in the system, and within 24 hours, investigators had identified Robledo's parents. One of Robledo's children then provided a DNA sample, confirming the investigators' findings.

The DNA Doe Project says that Robledo's parents moved to the U.S. and settled in El Paso. They raised three sons, including Robledo, who was born in 1923. Robledo was the only son unaccounted for, the DNA Doe Project says. Robledo served in World War II and was wounded in the Battle of Normandy. As an adult, Robledo settled in Los Angeles, California. The last trace he left in the public record was a 1990 obituary that stated Robledo lived in Mexico.

"In addition to the absence of an obvious connection to Minnesota, his age came as a surprise too," a spokesperson for the DNA Doe Project explained. "While the unidentified man was initially believed to be 40-55 years old, Robledo was likely in his 70s or 80s at the time of his death."

Robledo's remains were found off I-90 in Minnesota. He was wearing Levi's brand pants and Mario de Gerard loafers at the time of his death, the project says. A 10k gold ring with a ruby-colored stone and some coins dated 1965 through 1992 were also found at the scene.