No one ever reported Edward Donald Raymond missing. 

So when the Oakland, California, resident’s body was found floating in rural San Joaquin County waters 44 years ago, he was a nameless victim with few clues to let investigators know who he was.

The badly decomposed body was found on July 13, 1981, in Thornton, a census-designated place less than 30 miles from Stockton. The man was found wearing only white swim trunks with red and blue stripes. He had a gunshot wound to his right shoulder, and a tattoo on his left arm that read, “Black is beautiful,” according to the sheriff’s office.

He resembled a driver who had been seen in the area days before the body was found — a man in a white or beige Cadillac. But no car or additional clothing were found at the scene.

The case went cold until recently. Advancements in fingerprint technology finally led investigators to identify the body as Edward Donald Raymond.

Still, the case of who Raymond was — and how he ended up dead in San Joaquin County — remains a mystery.

The only clues investigators have for Raymond come from an arrest record from San Francisco police in 1976, when he listed his residence as an Oakland address, authorities said. 

Authorities said Raymond’s birth date was listed as 1947. He also went by an alias of “Edward Wilson,” who was listed as being born in 1948.

The sheriff’s office is now asking for the public’s help in finding out what happened to Raymond.

“We are asking for any information that may help us better understand what happened to Edward Raymond and bring justice to this case,” said the sheriff’s office in a statement. “If you have any information, please contact our office. Your assistance could be crucial in solving this case and providing answers for all those impacted.”