Body found wrapped in tarp 25 years ago is now identified, California cops say

A body found wrapped in a tarp on a hillside 25 years ago finally has a name, California sheriff’s officials said.

His badly decomposed body was discovered in 1998 in the mountains north of Santa Cruz, sheriff’s officials said in an April 12 news release. He’d been killed by blunt force trauma.

Three people were later convicted in his slaying, but his identity remained unknown for the next two decades, according to the release.

Thanks to DNA testing and genealogy research, investigators have now identified the body found as Eric Cupo, 22, formerly of Pennsylvania and Florida, the Santa Cruz sheriff’s office said.

Cupo was born in California and raised in Philadelphia by his adoptive family. He also lived in Florida for a time before returning to Philadelphia, sheriff’s officials said.

After turning 18, Cupo moved around the country and his family lost touch with him, but he’s believed to have lived in Arizona and Ohio, officials said.

It’s not clear when he returned to California.

His adopted family and biological relatives have been notified, sheriff’s officials said.

Santa Cruz is a city of 62,000 people about 80 miles south of San Francisco.

This story was originally published April 12, 2023 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Body found wrapped in tarp 25 years ago is now identified, California cops say."