Overview

Last Seen: July 13, 1974, approximately 7:00 p.m.

Location: San Juan Hot Springs area off Ortega Highway, near Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, California.

Age: 21.

Circumstances: Gatti was dropped off by family members intending to camp and live off the land. He carried a sleeping bag and .22-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. His family expected him to be gone for only a few weeks.

Key Concern: Gatti never returned and never reestablished contact with his family.

Case Status: Unsolved missing-person case.

Investigating Agency: Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Homicide Unit/Missing Persons Detail.

Notable Developments: The family investigated possible connections to serial killers Randy Kraft and William Bonin, but no connection has been established publicly. Gatti has also been compared with unidentified remains; publicly discussed NamUs information reported dozens of exclusions by 2024.

Current Information: No publicly announced identification, arrest, confirmed sighting or resolution has been located. Authorities continue to request information concerning his disappearance.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The 1974 Disappearance of Angelo Nicola “Nick” Gatti Jr. in California

Angelo Nicola “Nick” Gatti Jr. was 21 years old when he disappeared in Southern California on July 13, 1974. More than five decades later, there has been no confirmed explanation for what happened after his family dropped him off near San Juan Hot Springs along Ortega Highway for what was supposed to be a wilderness excursion.

His disappearance remains an active unresolved missing-person case associated with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Last Seen: July 13, 1974

Gatti was born September 19, 1952. At the time he disappeared, he was approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed about 120 pounds, although some databases give a range of 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 4 inches and 120 to 130 pounds. He had reddish-brown or brown-red hair and blue eyes.

On July 13, 1974, family members drove Gatti to the San Juan Hot Springs area off Ortega Highway, near the Cleveland National Forest. An Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department missing-person bulletin records the time he was last seen as approximately 7:00 p.m.

Gatti was an experienced hiker who enjoyed wilderness living. His plan was unusual but apparently consistent with his interests: he intended to camp and live off the land in the Cleveland National Forest.

What Angelo Gatti Had With Him

When Gatti entered the wilderness, he reportedly carried a sleeping bag and a .22-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver.

He was described as wearing a white T-shirt, cut-off corduroy pants, a white Yamaha jacket and tan or yellow work boots.

According to later reporting, he left his wallet, identification, Social Security card and watch at home. His parents considered this unusual.

Family members also said Gatti had been depressed and unusually concerned about environmental issues around the time he disappeared.

When the Family Became Concerned

Initially, Gatti’s absence did not immediately alarm his family. He enjoyed camping and wilderness excursions, and they believed he intended to remain in the forest for approximately two weeks.

The situation changed when he failed to return or make contact.

His parents eventually contacted authorities and began searching for him. Historical reporting by the Los Angeles Times describes an extraordinary effort by the Gatti family. His parents reportedly searched the wilderness themselves, hired someone knowledgeable about the area’s trails and spent years examining trails, maps, backcountry areas and caves.

They also contacted numerous organizations and agencies seeking information about their son.

Despite those efforts, no confirmed trace of Nick Gatti was discovered.

Questions About Serial Killers Randy Kraft and William Bonin

Years after Gatti disappeared, his family considered whether his disappearance could have been connected to one of Southern California’s serial killers.

When Randy Kraft was sentenced to death in 1989 for murdering young men, the Gatti family contacted authorities hoping Kraft might have information concerning Nick.

The family later also sought information from William Bonin, the serial killer known as the “Freeway Killer,” before Bonin’s 1996 execution.

The geographical connection caused understandable concern: victims associated with Bonin had been recovered near Ortega Highway.

However, a prosecutor familiar with both the Bonin and Kraft cases told the Los Angeles Times in 1996 that Gatti did not fit much of what investigators knew about Bonin’s victims or Bonin’s known killing period. He indicated that, if either killer were considered, Gatti’s circumstances appeared more consistent with Kraft.

That statement did not establish that Kraft was involved.

No publicly available law-enforcement information confirms that Gatti was a victim of Randy Kraft, William Bonin or any other offender.

Other Unidentified-Person Comparisons

Over the years, people researching unidentified remains have compared Gatti with multiple unidentified men.

One particularly notable development appeared in publicly discussed NamUs exclusion information. By September 2024, a Websleuths discussion reported that Gatti had 44 unidentified-person exclusions associated with his NamUs record.

Another unidentified man found in Santa Cruz County in July 1974 had previously generated discussion because of similarities involving reddish hair, work boots and corduroy clothing. Publicly posted NamUs exclusion information subsequently listed Angelo Gatti among the missing people excluded as that unidentified person.

These comparisons are useful in documenting avenues that have been considered, but they do not establish what happened to Gatti.

Latest Information on the Angelo Gatti Investigation

As of the latest publicly accessible information, there has been no announced arrest, identification of remains, confirmed sighting or official resolution of Angelo Gatti’s disappearance.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department continues to publish a dedicated missing-person page for Gatti and asks anyone with information to contact its Homicide Unit/Missing Persons Detail.

The California Department of Justice also continues to list Angelo Nicola Gatti Jr. as a missing person associated with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Recent online discussion has continued as well. In April 2026, Gatti’s long-running Websleuths case thread was again updated with a link to his Doe Network record.

In August 2026, participants in a Reddit discussion about an unidentified man found in Crisp County, Georgia in 1975 suggested Gatti as a possible comparison. The suggestion was based largely on general physical resemblance, reddish-brown hair and chronology. This is an internet-generated theory, not a publicly confirmed law-enforcement lead or identification. The substantial geographic distance and other case details mean it should not be presented as an investigative conclusion.

No reliable public source located for this article indicates that authorities have connected the Georgia unidentified man to Gatti.

What Happened to Angelo “Nick” Gatti?

More than 50 years after Nick Gatti walked into the wilderness near Ortega Highway, the central question remains unanswered.

An accident or medical emergency in rugged wilderness, intentional disappearance, suicide and foul play have all been discussed over the decades. Possible connections to unidentified remains and serial killers have also been explored or debated.

None has produced a publicly confirmed answer.

What is established is much simpler: on July 13, 1974, 21-year-old Angelo Nicola Gatti Jr. was taken to the San Juan Hot Springs area to begin a wilderness trip. He was expected to return or contact his family.

He never did.

His disappearance remains unsolved.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: July 13, 1974, approximately 7:00 p.m.

Location: San Juan Hot Springs area off Ortega Highway, near Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, California.

Age: 21.

Circumstances: Gatti was dropped off by family members intending to camp and live off the land. He carried a sleeping bag and .22-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. His family expected him to be gone for only a few weeks.

Key Concern: Gatti never returned and never reestablished contact with his family.

Case Status: Unsolved missing-person case.

Investigating Agency: Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Homicide Unit/Missing Persons Detail.

Notable Developments: The family investigated possible connections to serial killers Randy Kraft and William Bonin, but no connection has been established publicly. Gatti has also been compared with unidentified remains; publicly discussed NamUs information reported dozens of exclusions by 2024.

Current Information: No publicly announced identification, arrest, confirmed sighting or resolution has been located. Authorities continue to request information concerning his disappearance.