On a September day in 1988 a passerby on the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon, followed a decomposing smell and found what appeared to be a human arm beneath the south edge of the SE Water Avenue on-ramp. Authorities recovered a partially decomposed body identified as Leoned Joseph Santiago, a 49-year-old Hispanic male. An autopsy determined Santiago died of a severe beating and had numerous broken bones.

Santiago was a sailor and civilian employee of the U.S. Navy assigned to the USNS Andrew J. Higgens, then in dry dock on Swan Island. Shipmates last saw him on August 16, 1988; he reportedly carried a significant amount of cash when he left the ship, and that money was missing when his body was found. The scene showed extensive blood spatter.

Investigators named a person of interest, Matthew Delbert Loehr, who denied involvement; relatives later told police Loehr had come into unexplained money around the time Santiago was likely killed. Loehr has since died of a drug overdose and no arrests were made. The homicide remains unsolved. If anyone knew Loehr or has information about Santiago’s last weeks, contact the investigators handling the case.