Update: Coroner identifies body found buried in Modesto backyard

The body found in an airport district backyard Saturday was identified Wednesday as Jacob Sutton-Bubeck, 26, of Modesto.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department said its coroner’s office used dental x-rays to confirm the victim’s identity in the suspected homicide.

A news release said Sutton-Bubeck, also known as Cheddar, was reported missing last winter. No arrests have been reported.

A resident of the 100 block of Santa Rita Avenue reported finding the decomposing body while digging in the yard to bury a dead pet. The release said media coverage generated tips that helped identify the victim.

Sutton-Bubeck was reported missing by his brother on Feb. 10. Detective Cory Brown said in the release that he would like to speak with anyone who saw or spoke with the victim after Jan. 25.

“Due to the different variables that affect decomposition, it is impossible to identify a specific date that Jacob was murdered or when he was buried,” Brown said. “That is why it is important to talk to people who may have seen him after that date to narrow down a specific timeline.”

The Sheriff’s Department is not disclosing how Sutton-Bubeck might have been slain. “ ... that is something that would be known only by someone who has intimate knowledge of this crime and how it was committed,” the release said.

Brown would also like to speak with anyone who lived at the home over the past year. People with information about the case can call him at 209-567-4485.

Anonymous tips may be made by calling Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Tipsters can also email tips at www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text them to CRIMES (274637) by typing “Tip704,” plus the message, and be eligible for a cash reward.

This story was originally published November 28, 2018 at 7:53 PM.