'John Doe' found naked and murdered in 1974 ID'd after 37 years as Marine branded as deserter

A body found naked in 1974 at a California condominium complex is a U.S. Marine from Iowa who had been listed as a deserter from Camp Pendleton, authorities said yesterday.

The man known for more than 37 years as 'John Doe No. 155' is Oral Stuart Jr of Des Moines, Iowa, Long Beach police said in a statement.

His cause of death, previously listed as undetermined, has been reclassified as a homicide.

The body of Stuart, who was 18 when he disappeared, was found on November 10, 1974, in the carport area of an apartment complex near Interstate 605, police said....