05/26/2026
On November 3, 1986 approximately four miles west of Interstate 25, in the Midway Ranch area South of Colorado Springs the skeletal remains of an adult male were recovered. The man was believed to have been 5’4” to 5’7” in height, 30 to 40 years of age, and was wearing blue Calvin Klein Jeans and a blue/green sweatshirt at the time of his death. His cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound. Traditional means of investigation failed to identify the man, and he became known as Colorado Springs John Doe.
In 2025, the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center was consulted by the El Paso County EPC Sheriff's Office Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division Cold Case Unit to conduct investigative genetic genealogy to identify John Doe. Teeth belonging to John Doe were sent to Astrea Forensics for DNA extraction and SNP analysis, which resulted in the successful generation of a genotype profile for John Doe.
After several weeks of research, IGG staff members at Ramapo developed an investigative lead in the case: the identification of Peter Joseph Paskovich Jr. as the possible identity of Colorado Springs John Doe. Detectives from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed the identity of Mr. Paskovich in April 2026.
More details about this case are available through the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office: https://epcsheriffsoffice.com/1986-homicide-victim-identified-after-nearly-40-years/
