Sheriff’s Office identifies body found in Salinas riverbed
Individual identified as 67-year-old Phillip Ahoff
–The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office Coroner Unit has identified a previously unidentified decedent found in the Salinas Riverbed in 2012. The man, known only as John Doe #5 to the Coroner Unit at the time of the discovery of his body on January 12, 2012 in the Salinas Riverbed in the City of Paso Robles, has been identified as Phillip Max Ahoff, who was 67-years-old at the time of his death.
Information that assisted in the identification of Phillip Ahoff was learned after local NBC-affiliate KSBY ran a news story on December 30, 2015, highlighting ongoing investigations by the coroner unit to determine the identity of unidentified deceased persons, according to the sheriff’s office. A viewer, who recognized a photograph of Phillip Ahoff shown during the broadcast, reportedly contacted the coroner unit with information previously not known to the coroner Investigators. Although the viewer knew Phillip Ahoff by another name, the information she provided generated additional avenues of inquiry for the investigators.
The coroner was able to determine that the individual, known to others as Phillip Bishop, might in fact be Phillip Ahoff. Fingerprint records for Phillip Ahoff were acquired and compared with fingerprint impressions taken from Ahoff during the initial investigation of his death. These fingerprint records provided a positive identification of Ahoff. Ahoff’s only known next-of-kin, a cousin, has been notified of his death.
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