SUSPICIOUS DEATH
CASE #: 1981-48
Unidentified Minor No Last Name - Male
Status:
Open
Date of Death:
Date of Death:
Jurisdiction:
Death Location:
Tustin, California
Summary:
On December 2, 1981, at about 6:30 a.m., a Tustin police officer was responding to a single‑car crash near Tustin High School on Laguna Road (now El Camino Real) when a Tustin High School custodian flagged him down and reported finding a boy’s body on the roof of one of the buildings of the school. The body was located at the southwest corner of the campus.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Death:
The teen was partially draped over the edge of the building. Detectives noted trauma to his body. Police reported that the autopsy determined the cause of death was trauma to the body. The exact nature of the injuries was not detailed in public accounts, and no further forensic specifics (such as whether the injuries were inflicted by a weapon or accident) have been disclosed in available reports. The investigation at the time did not link the death to the nearby single‑car crash that was also under police scrutiny, and the truck involved was not registered to the victim’s family.
Additional Details:
The victim was a 15-year-old Vietnamese immigrant. Police have stated that he was not enrolled at Tustin High School, had few friends, and was not known to be involved in any illegal activity. His parents told police they did not believe he was engaged in wrongdoing. He did not have a job and was not involved with any clubs or groups. His name/identity has not been released to the public. The family had very recently immigrated to America from Vietnam.
Case Last Updated:
Tasks - Can you help?
Obtain Police Report on Single Car Accident at Scene
Obtain Autopsy Report
Obtain Interview Report of Custodian at Tustin High School who Discovered Body
Family Contact
Locate Title and/or Registration of Abandoned Truck from Accident on Scene
Tasks - Can you help?
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Share what you learnTimeline of Events
The exact timeline shows the crash and the discovery of the body happened within the same early‑morning shift on Dec. 2, 1981. The crash was reported by the responding officer, and the only direct witness to the death was the custodian. No witnesses to the crash itself are documented in the official account.
Detectives at the time did not immediately know if the death was related to the crash, so the crash was included in the investigation.
Shortly after 6:30 am a custodian at Tustin High School flagged the on-scene officer down and reported finding the body of a 15‑year‑old on the roof of one of the school’s buildings.
Further investigation throughout the morning led police to question neighbors near the school who told police their dogs began barking in the early morning (before 6:30 am); they saw several figures on the school campus but could not identify them due to darkness.
Early morning, Dec. 2, 1981 — Around 6:30 a.m., a Tustin police officer responded to a single‑vehicle collision on Laguna Road (now El Camino Real) near Tustin High School. The crash involved a truck that hit a curb, then smashed into and fell a tree. The vehicle was abandoned in the street and treated as a hit‑and‑run.
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