Active Cases

Identified After 50 Years

Winston Arthur Maxey III

In July 1971, the body of a teenage boy was discovered in Snedden Creek, a rural area of Coos County, Oregon. When the tragic discovery was made, three teenagers were moving horses between pastures on private property. Due to the condition of the remains and lack of identifying information, the boy became known as “Frog Boy.” His true identity remained a mystery for more than 5 decades. His death remains under active investigation.

That same summer, I was born to teenage parents who were just 15 years old. Shortly after my birth, I was placed for adoption. My adoptive parents always told me I was adopted, and my adoptive dad, Dennis, fully supported my desire to find my biological family. Tragically, Dennis passed away in a commercial plane crash in 1987 when I was only 16 years old.

I began searching for my birth family at the age of 12. By 17, using money I had saved for a senior trip to Europe, I hired a private investigator, known as Mr. X. Within hours, he located my birth mom. That summer, in 1988, I met her and began building a relationship. Later that year, during my Senior year of high school, I spent Christmas with her. It was then that she told me the name of my biological dad and gave me a framed photo of him. From that moment on, I was determined to find him.

Despite years of searching, I could not locate my birth father. In 2016, I turned to social media, creating the page, “Where in the World is Winston Maxey?” I also reached out to Crystal from Eastern Idaho Cold Cases to help share my dad’s story. That same year, I attempted to file a missing persons report with the National Missing and Exploited Children. However, because I had been adopted and was not legally recognized as his child, and because his family had never reported him missing, authorities could not list him as missing.

In 2021, I received a life-changing call from CeCe Moore, an investigative genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. She shared that there was a John Doe case from 1971 in Coos County, Oregon, and she believed he might be my birth dad. I uploaded my DNA to GEDmatch, and it was confirmed, the boy known for decades as “Frog Boy” was my biological dad, Winston “Wint” Arthur Maxey III.

After 50 years, Wint finally had his name back, and his case remains open and active as investigators continue working to find answers and put his case to rest.

Have a tip regarding Wint’s death? Please call:

Coos County Sheriff’s Department Tip Line: 541-396-7800.