After 35 years, The Portage County Sheriff’s Office, with help from Ohio’s BCI, has identified a John Doe, whose remains were found partially buried in a shallow grave in Paris Township in 1988. In August 2023, detectives finally learned their cold case victim’s name is David Ralph Kaziateck. He was 36 years old and living in nearby Warren, Ohio at the time he was killed. And now, the Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to provide them with any information they might have about David that could help them identify his killer.
David’s remains were found on September 28, 1988, when a farmer was mowing a part of his property off of Cable Line Road, that he usually left unattended.
He noticed something shiny sticking out of the ground, and thinking it was a belt, he moved closer to take a look. He quickly realized he was seeing a human leg and immediately called the Portage County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators arrived to discover the decomposed body of a man, wearing a plaid flannel shirt, but no pants. There was a ring on his ring finger, and nearby, they found a portable travel alarm clock and a pack of Winston Salem cigarettes. Also in the area were windshield wiper blades and a picture frame. Whether or not these items are related to the case is still unknown.