From Chelsea Phua:
Sacramento County authorities have identified a 1997 homicide victim and are looking to solve the 47-year-old man's murder.
G. "Steven" Yager's body was found June 14, 1997, in a field in the 4300 block of Garden Highway, Sacramento County Sheriff's officials said. Authorities say they could not identify the remains then because of the condition of the body.
Recently, a cold case detective reviewed the case and thought there could be a connection to a June 1997 missing person case. The physical descriptions did not match exactly, but the detective took tissue samples from the autopsy to the California Department of Justice laboratory for comparison.
One of Yager's relatives had submitted a DNA sample to authorities, which was logged into the missing person database.
A match was found and investigators determined that the unidentified remains belonged to Yager (top left photo), who had been missing since 1997.
Investigators have reopened the case and are looking for information about Yager and the circumstances surrounding his death. They say Yager lived in the area of Fulton and Marconi avenues when he was killed, and frequented pool halls and card rooms in the same area.
A vehicle, described as possibly a 1969-1973 Chrysler New Yorker or looking similar to one, was seen leaving the area where the body was found, officials said. The body of the vehicle was light blue and the top was a darker blue.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5057 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP, or text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
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