DNA Doe Project

Each genetic genealogy case at the DNA Doe Project generally is conducted by the following steps:

1. Acceptance of case from law enforcement
2. Extraction of DNA sample (sometimes repeated if the first sample proves too degraded for analysis)
3. Fundraising for DNA sequencing
4. Sequencing of DNA sample
5. Bioinformatics "translates" the DNA sequencing into a digital data file that is compatible with GEDmatch
6. Uploading DNA data file to GEDmatch
7. Genealogical analysis using GEDmatch and other tools
8. Tentative identification of the Doe
9. Law enforcement verifies identity, typically using fingerprints or a DNA sample provided by an immediate relative

Some of the difficulties the DNA Doe project encountered when using genetic genealogy to identify bodies have been:[7][8]

• Adoptions into the family tree, which interrupt the genetic genealogy. Fitzpatrick described this as having to "solve a mystery to solve a mystery," This was the case with a key match of Anthony John Armbrust III, a man found in Park County, Colorado in 1974.
• Ethnicities for which there are not yet large DNA databases, such as Native American, Hispanic, and African American. The Apache Junction Jane Doe found in Arizona in 1992 and Trabuco Canyon John Doe found in 1996 have not yet been identified for this reason.[9] It took extra time to identify Lyle Stevik. Stevik was believed to be of Native American ancestry while the Apache Junction Jane Doe is thought to be of African American ancestry. The Trabuco Canyon John Doe was found to most likely be from a remote part of Latin America, and genealogy research results were too sparse in order to continue research.[10]
• Persons descended from or who are themselves recent immigrants to the United States, for whom there would not be ancestral genealogy records in the US. For example, Philadelphia Jane Doe is now thought to have had ancestors from Australia and Malta.
• Intermarriage among related families (endogamy ), making discernment of the lines of descent and individuals more difficult. Such families were encountered by researchers in the "Belle in the Well", Broadway Phoenix Jane Doe, and Stevik cases.
• Amounts of DNA being too small for adequate testing, especially with difficult bone extractions. This status could require multiple extractions for a suitable sample.
• Degraded DNA. This was a condition encountered in the Joseph Newton Chandler III case, Corona Girl case, and Lime Lady case.
• Bacterial/Human contamination, reducing the amounts of the Doe's DNA that can be used for analysis, which usually isn't discovered until sequencing is complete. James Freund and Pamela Buckley's DNA was contaminated with bacteria, and two does from Washington had to be put on hold due to contamination.
• Exceedingly large family trees, which can cause investigations to take weeks or months. This was the case with Joseph Henry Loveless, and is the case with the Kings County and Pulaski County Jane Does.
• During 2020, Margaret Press has stated that the COVID-19 Pandemic has hampered investigations, particularly ones that have been solved and now need law enforcement to make contact with the families. She stated that many agencies prefer to do these announcements in-person with families and have not been able due to the pandemic and travel restrictions caused by it. She went further to say that volunteers as well as laboratories have also been affected by the pandemic.

Postmortem rendering of Marcia King by Carl Koppelman.

In 1981, 3 passersby found a female murder victim in a ditch in Troy, Ohio. Because the victim was found wearing a distinctive buckskin coat, she was given the name "Buckskin Girl" as the investigation continued. For decades, authorities sought the woman's identity, but to no avail.[4][11]

At the 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences conference, Elizabeth Murray, an Ohio forensic anthropologist, met Colleen Fitzpatrick and Margaret Press, founders of the DNA Doe Project, who discussed what genetic genealogy techniques could do for this case. The victim's body had long since been buried, but a vial of blood had been held in a lab for 37 years. The vial had not been refrigerated, however, resulting in the DNA becoming highly degraded, with only 50–75% of markers remaining. With the help of Greg Magoon, a senior researcher at Aerodyne Research, they were able to upload this DNA data to GEDmatch.[4][11]

From this point, the DNA Doe Project was able to identify the "Buckskin Girl," based on a very close DNA match (to a first cousin once removed).[12] Her name was Marcia Lenore Sossoman (King) from Arkansas, age 21 at the time of her death. DNA Doe Project volunteers provided law enforcement with the name of a close relative of King's who lived in Florida. This relative volunteered a DNA sample that confirmed Sossoman's identity. This sample proved to be a match.[4]

After 37 years, her mother was still living at the house where Sossoman had grown up. She had refused to move or change her phone number in hopes that her daughter might return or try to contact her.[4][11]

In September 2001, a man was found to have hanged himself in a motel in Amanda Park, Washington, a town on the Olympic Peninsula. The man had checked in as "Lyle Stevik," which appeared to be an alias. This name appeared drawn from "Lyle Stevick", a character in a Joyce Carol Oates's novel You Must Remember This (1987).

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office spent countless hours in search of the man's true identity, but to no avail.[13][14][15][16]

In 2018, the DNA Doe Project took the case at the request of the County Sheriff's Office. In order to raise the funds required to complete the necessary DNA analysis, the DDP set up its first-ever "Doe Fund Me" campaign on behalf of the victim. The campaign was a quick success, as by this time "Stevik" had gained Internet fame among web sleuths. Adequate funds were raised within 24 hours. By 22 March 2018, DDP volunteers had obtained his DNA results and began analyzing through GEDmatch and related genetic genealogy research.[13][14][15][16]

After about 20 volunteers put hundreds of hours into the case, they found a candidate in a 25-year-old young man from California. DNA tests indicated he was of mixed Native American and Hispanic descent. Authorities contacted the man's family, who conclusively verified his identity using fingerprint samples taken in his childhood, having previously though the man distanced himself from them. The family has requested that Stevik's identity remain private.[13][14][15][16]

Joseph Newton Chandler III, a resident of Eastlake, Ohio, committed suicide in his apartment on July 24, 2002. As authorities sought to identify his heirs, they discovered that his name and identity were fake. The real Joseph Newton Chandler III had died in a Sherman, Texas car accident at age eight on 21 December 1945. The suicide victim had stolen the boy's identity in 1978, while living in South Dakota. Authorities began a search for the man's true identity.[17][18][19][20][21]

Extracting DNA proved difficult, as the victim's remains had been cremated. In the year 2000, however, two years before his death, the victim had had a tissue sample taken for a medical treatment. Authorities obtained this sample, but genetic analysis of the sample using traditional law enforcement techniques yielded few clues. In 2016, authorities reached out to IdentiFinders, a company run by Colleen Fitzpatrick, for help. In examining the man's Y-DNA signature, they determined that his true last name was likely "Nicholas" or some variation.[17][18][19][20][21]

Chandler became the first case for the DDP. They analyzed the autosomal DNA[4] of the highly degraded sample of the man's DNA, which had been stored in paraffin for about 15 years. Despite the obstacles, and after over 2,500 hours of work,[2] the DDP researchers were able to conclusively determine in June 2018[19] that Joseph Newton Chandler III, was Robert Ivan Nichols, son of Silas and Alpha Nichols of New Albany, Indiana. This identification was verified when Robert's son, Phillip Nichols, volunteered a DNA sample, which proved to be a match.[17][18][19][20][21]

Postmortem rendering of Mary Silvani by Carl Koppelman.

The body of a woman aged between 25 and 35 years was found by hikers on July 17, 1982 in Sheep Flats, Washoe County, Nevada. The woman had been shot in the back of the head as she was bending over, possibly to tie her shoes. The bullet hole on her head had been covered with men's underwear.

The victim wore a light pair of tennis shoes, a sleeveless blue shirt, jeans with a blue bikini bottom in a pocket, and a blue swimsuit underneath. The shirt had been sold at stores in California, Washington, and Oregon.

At the victim's autopsy, a vaccination scar was found on her left arm, and another on her abdomen. In addition, one of her toenails had a large bruise underneath. Evidence from the style of dental work she had received indicated that she may have lived in Europe at some point during life. This theory has since been disproved. The woman had hazel eyes, was around five feet five inches in height, weighed 112 pounds, and had brown hair tied back in a bun. 231 people have been ruled out as possible identities of the decedent.

During the years when police struggled to identify her, she was known as "Sheep Flats Jane Doe" or "Washoe County Jane Doe".

In July 2018 it was announced that she had been tentatively identified through genetic genealogy by the DNA Doe Project. In September 2018 her identity was confirmed by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office. However the Sheriff's Office withheld further information due to its ongoing homicide investigation.

In May 2019 the Washoe County Sheriff's Office announced that Washoe County Jane Doe is 33-year-old Mary Edith Silvani. She was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and grew up in the Detroit area. She later moved to California as an adult.[22]

The perpetrator, James Richard Curry, was also found through forensic genealogy. Curry committed suicide in prison the day following his arrest after being charged with another murder in January 1983.[23]

A man aged 40 to 46 was discovered in his apartment in Oakland, Maine, after having died on May 2, 2014, from what were determined to be natural causes.[24] He registered under the name "Alfred Jake Fuller" and provided a birth date of November 8, 1970. No records were found to match this information, leading investigators to speculate he used an alias. The man was estimated to be 5'10", at a weight of 255 pounds. He wore a short goatee and had curly brown hair. A blue "discoloration was on the left side of his face and a large nevus was in between his shoulders. His personal items included a prepaid Visa card and a "fugitive recovery agent" document. He was fully clothed and wore two pieces of jewelry on his neck.[7][25][26]

In 2018 the DNA Doe Project took on his case and was able to identify him that year. His family requested that his identity be withheld for privacy.[27]

Forensic sketch of Tracey Hobson by Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The extensively decomposed remains of a young female were found at the side of a freeway in the Santa Ana Canyon in Anaheim, California, on August 30, 1987. The victim's body had almost completely skeletonized at the time of discovery, although some fragments of soft tissue were still present upon the remains. The victim—originally called "Anaheim Jane Doe" and also known as Jane Doe 87-04092 EL—was a slender young woman who had medium-length light hair, estimated to have been between 15 and 19 years old when she died,[28] and was speculated to have been a teenage runaway.[29] Her hands had been severed from her body by her killer or killers, likely as a way to prevent identification via fingerprinting.[30]

At the crime scene, enough hair was found upon and near the body to determine that the decedent had either blond or light-brown hair, although no personal belongings beyond a red handkerchief were discovered with her remains. Her skull was forensically reconstructed by Shannon Collis in hopes of identifying the body, determining the decedent also had high cheekbones. One of her front teeth was slightly chipped, while three of her other teeth had visible cavities, and six molars were missing. She was estimated to be between five feet one to five feet four inches in height. It is believed that the victim had died approximately six weeks before her body was discovered, meaning she likely died in July 1987. She may possibly have died by repeated stab wounds to her chest area, as incisive damage to two of her ribs suggested.[31] Therefore, her death was ruled as a definite homicide.[32][33][34][35][36]

In 2018, the identity of Anaheim Jane Doe was established by the DNA Doe Project,[37] although due to the fact the case was an ongoing homicide investigation, her identity was not released to the media until January 2019. The decedent was a 20-year-old Anaheim resident named Tracey Coreen Hobson.[7][30][38]

Reconstruction of Dana Dodd by Carl Koppelman.

On October 29, 2006, the badly burned body of a female aged 17 to 25 was discovered in Kilgore, Texas. The victim's cause of death remained undetermined, yet the manner of death was ruled a homicide due to the fact that the body was set on fire deliberately and the victim had been raped.[39]

The DNA Doe Project took the case in 2018.[40][41] In January, the organization announced a tentative identification in the case, which would not be released until the suspect's trial concluded.[42] Despite this, Dodd's identity was released on February 11, 2019. She was 21 and last seen in Jacksonville, Florida.[43] Joseph Wayne Burnette, a long term person of interest in the case, confessed to the murder in August 2018, leading him to be charged with her death (and that of another woman, 28 year old Felisha Pearson).[44][45]

On March 7, 2015, the skeletal remains of a white female were located near Tylersville Road in West Chester, Butler County, Ohio. The decedent was examined and estimated to be between 35 and 60 years old at the time of her death, which occurred as early as the fall of 2014. She had unique dental work, including implants. Her DNA did not match any profiles in national databases. In March 2019 she was identified as Darlene Wilson Norcross.[46] The cause, time and manner of her death are still undetermined.[47]

On August 19, 1971, the skeleton of a female aged 14 to 25 was discovered in Cave Junction, Oregon. She was white with reddish-colored hair, which was frosted blond. She was between 5'2" and 5'9" at around 125 pounds. She had slightly protruding upper front teeth and had some fillings in her teeth. Some debris was noted to partially conceal the remains, which were found near the border with California. A hunting knife with deer blood was near the bones.[48]

The decedent wore a checked pink and beige coat, a turtleneck shirt, 34B bra, blue and white underwear, Wrangler jeans and brown heeled shoes. She had several pieces of jewelry, one being a ring with the letters "AL" scratched into the mother of pearl stone. She also carried 38 cents, the oldest coin dated 1970.[49]

She was reported as wearing a New Zealand-made bra. DNA links were established with New Zealand and Sussex in the United Kingdom by the DNA Doe Project in 2018.[50][51]

Additionally, a map of northern California campgrounds was found in one of her pockets.[52]

The DNA Doe Project began work on the case in 2018 and through collaboration with NCMEC and NamUs, "Annie Doe" was identified as 16-year-old Anne Marie Lehman in March 2019, who was coincidentally known by the nickname "Annie" when alive.[53][54]

On March 10, 2007, the remains of an unknown female were discovered in a wooded area of Marion County, Ohio. She was aged between 15 and 24 and had died between 2002 and 2006, most likely within the two years prior to her discovery. She was between five feet three to five feet nine inches tall and had brown, straight hair.[55] No clothing or personal effects were found with her body, which was completely skeletonized.

The female had unique physical characteristics. She was predominantly white, but could have had a degree of Hispanic or Asian heritage.[56] She had also suffered damage to one of her front teeth (although this dental damage may have occurred posthumously). She did appear to have otherwise taken considerable care of her teeth although there was no evidence that she had seen a dentist during her lifetime.[57]

In September 2016, authorities announced the possibility that this decedent was a victim of alleged serial killer Shawn Grate, who claimed he had killed this victim after encountering her selling magazines door-to-door.[58] Grate has stated he believes the decedent's name may have been Dana.[59] She was also called "Vicky" by investigators, as she was discovered near Victory Road.[60] In January 2018, the results of isotope analysis conducted upon her remains indicated she likely originated from the southern United States, possibly Texas or Florida.[61] In 2019, Police asked the DNA Doe Project to help identify the body.[60]

In June 2019 the victim had been identified. She was 23 at the time of her death in May 2006. She was originally from Minden, Louisiana. She was separated from her husband, with whom she had two young children.[62]

On September 11, 2019, Grate pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 16 years.[63][64][65]

Flesher was a woman whose remains were discovered in a well in Chesapeake, Ohio on April 22, 1981. She had been strangled to death and her murder is believed to have been committed between 1979 and 1981. She was nicknamed "Belle In the Well" based upon the circumstances of her discovery.[66]

The victim was believed between 30 and 60 years old at the time of her death and her body bore signs of arthritis in her back. She was about 5 feet 3 inches in height and weighed between 130 and 150 pounds. She had prominent front teeth and cheekbones, and wore multiple layers of clothing. In her possession were a Greyhound Bus ticket and a distinctive coin. In 2018 her autosomal DNA was analyzed by the DNA Doe Project,[67] and distant relatives were identified in Cabell County, West Virginia.[68][69] In July 2019, the decedent was identified as Louise Virginia Peterson Flesher.[70][71] Flesher was born 1915 (about 65 when she died), was native to West Virginia and the mother of three children. She had also resided in Wyoming prior to her death.[72] This case took 14 months and was particularly hard to solve because there was endogamy in her ancestors (the practice of marrying within a specific social group, caste or ethnic group). Volunteer researchers eventually constructed a family tree of 43,130 people before they identified her.[73]

A year prior to her identification, Flesher had been compared to the unidentified victim, yet she was believed to have been too old to be a match.[66]

Postmortem rendering of Debra Jackson by Natalie Murry.

Debra Jackson's body was found face-down and nude in a culvert along a highway in Georgetown, Texas on October 31, 1979. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Along with the pair of socks on her body, she also wore an abalone/mother of pearl stone on a ring.

At the time, Jackson was believed to have been a transient or a runaway. Strong evidence supported this, as she had keys from an Oklahoma motel, long, dirty nails, insect bites (revealed to actually be impetigo scars post-identification),[74] unshaven legs and a makeshift sanitary pad. She had salpingitis due to having untreated gonorrhea.

Henry Lee Lucas confessed to her murder and was sentenced to death. It was later discovered that police officers from the area had him look at crime scene photos and then confess during interviews, which they would use to gain recognition for solving cold cases.

The DNA Doe Project took on the case in 2018. On August 6, 2019, "Orange Socks" was identified as 23-year-old Debra Louise Jackson, who was from Abilene, Texas.[75]

Facial approximation of Terry Deggs by Natalie Murry.

On January 11, 2015, the decomposed remains of a man were found in a shed in Mill Creek, Washington. It appeared as though the man, who is called Mill Creek Shed Man, had been living in the shed. He is thought to have died about a year before he was found, but it could have been longer.

The man appeared to be between 50 and 65 years old, about 5’11” (some reports state 5’9,” some state 6’1”), and African American. The pinky finger on his right hand was missing. Other findings were a “prominent sternal fissure, healed nasal fracture, lumbar scoliosis, and arthritis.” No cause of death could be ascertained, and there were no signs of foul play.

Local lore stated that the man had permission to live in the shed from a man who once owned the property on which it was located. A man named Jerry Diggs/Deggs lived on the property where the decedent was found, but there was no proof he and Mill Creek Shed Man were the same person. Jerry apparently gave his birth date as 12/31/1949. He claimed to be from the East Coast and to have worked as a security guard for a bank. He stated that he was struck in the head during a bank robbery and received a head injury.

On September 26, 2019 the DNA Doe Project (DDP) announced the successful identification of Mill Creek Shed Man. His name was being withheld by officials at the time. Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office (SCMEO) confirmed the identity on September 2, 2019 by comparing the deceased DNA with DNA submitted by the man's sister, whose name was provided by DDP on August 6, 2019. In December his name was released 65-year-old Nathaniel Terrance “Terry” Deggs, originally from Baltimore, Maryland and later The Bronx, New York.[76]

Marcia Bateman's remains were discovered by a hunter not far from the intersection of I-196 and County Road 378 in Van Buren County, Michigan on Oct. 12, 1988. Nearly two months had passed since the 28-year-old was reported missing by her family in Oklahoma. While police in Oklahoma City were actively searching for Bateman, Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Scott Ernestes said, a connection was never drawn between the remains in Michigan and the missing woman. She was finally identified in November 2019. While Bateman's death is ruled suspicious, Ernestes said there are no suspects.[77]

On September 21, 1987, the body of a woman was found in Marion County, Kansas. She had been bound at the hands and ankles, indicating she died from foul play. The victim was at least sixteen years old, but most likely between twenty and thirty-five years old.[78] Her remains were located behind hay bales and hedges at the side of a road and may have been there for months. A tattoo of a cross was located on her shoulder, although most of her body was skeletonized. She was between five feet six inches and five feet eight inches tall and had brown, four-inch-long hair. She was found with healed fractures on her ribs, indicating she had been in some sort of accident months before she died.[79] In 2018 police asked the DNA Doe Project to help identify her.[80]

The victim was identified in December 2019 as Michelle Evon Carnall-Burton, aged 22 at the time of her murder. She had disappeared from Cherryvale, also south-east Kansas in 1986, and had lost contact with her family.[81]

Bertha Alicia Holguín Barroterán's body was discovered in Phoenix, Arizona in October 1997. She was identified after relatives in New Mexico found out about the case due to greater media exposure.[82]

Post-Identification composite of Joseph Henry Loveless based upon living family members.

The headless torso of a man was found in 1979, stashed in a burlap sack in Buffalo Cave, near Boise, Idaho. In 1991, a hand was located on the same site, leading to further excavations from which the other hand and legs were discovered. Identification was thought to be implausible, due to the missing head and the huge family tree of the deceased. However, thanks to an 87-year-old California man who agreed to take a DNA test, the remains were identified as those of his grandfather – bootlegger and accused murderer Joseph Henry Loveless. He had been accused of murdering his common-law wife in 1916, but managed to escape imprisonment by using a sawblade hidden in his shoe. The circumstances surrounding his death are, at present, unknown; however, it is believed that he died soon after his escape, as he was found wearing the clothes detailed in his wanted poster. By far, this has been DNA Doe Project's oldest solved case.[83]

The skeleton of a young man was discovered by loggers on September 21, 1982, in Dallas, Barron County, Wisconsin. This decedent was estimated to be between 18 and 24 years old at the time of his death. Basic estimations, such as the height, weight and hair color were later calculated. He was about 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 9 inches tall and likely weighed 180 to 195 pounds, with a large build. Hair found with the body was light brown.

It is believed that the decedent had been stabbed to death; this was indicated by tears in his western-style plaid shirt. He was also wearing jeans, a denim jacket, and blue shoes with white stripes.

Some distinctive elements as to the victim were also noted. It is possible that he wore glasses, although none were found at the scene. He had received a large amount of dental work in life; this had been performed shortly before he died. He had also had some kind of surgery on his left knee that involved a screw and staple in the tibia. This kind of surgery would have required an extensive hospitalization period that could have lasted up to six months. Serial numbers on the screw and staple were traced, but this did not lead to the location where they had been purchased.[84]

In December 2019, the DNA Doe Project announced a tentative match for this victim. On January 7, 2020, the Barron County Sheriff's Department and the DNA Doe Project announced that, via matches with familial DNA samples, the victim was confirmed to be Kraig Patrick King (b. 1961), of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. King was last seen alive in fall 1981, and law enforcement believe he was murdered in April or May 1982. Investigation of his homicide is ongoing.[85]

Facial approximation of Sue Ann Huskey by Natalie Murry.

On September 25, 1989, the remains of a woman thought to be 18–24 were located in Williamson County, Texas along Interstate 35. She was about 5'2" tall at a weight between 110 and 120 pounds. Her ears were pierced, but only one earring was recovered. The victim also wore a necklace containing a white bead in the center, surrounded by two gold-colored beads on either side. She wore a white shirt with the words "Cinco De Corona" with the bottom cut into fringe, leading to her nickname; black pants and a shirt cut into a bra with the words "American Legends" bearing a Native American design. She wore bikini panties and no shoes. The victim was shot to death.[86]

On January 14, 2020, after several unsuccessful attempts to create a usable file, it was announced that a match to Sue Ann Huskey was confirmed. Huskey was 17 at the time of her murder and was originally from Sulphur Springs, Texas.[87][41] The match was made possible after the International Commission on Missing Persons was able to extract DNA from dental and bone remains, after decades of attempts by national laboratories.[88]

On November 13, 2016, a male torso was found in the Illinois River in Schuyler County, and a skull was later found on June 12, 2017, in Kingston Mines. The remains were named the Peoria County John Doe. According to the Peoria County Coroner, the decedent died from blunt force trauma to the head. On January 27, 2020, the remains were identified as 56-year-old John H. Frisch. Frisch was not reported missing, but used addresses in Peoria and Hawaii throughout his life, according to Peoria County Sheriff's Office. Investigators are retracing Frisch's days prior to his body being found. Mr. Frisch's parents are deceased, and he has very limited family in the area.[89][41]

Reconstruction of Tamara Tigard by Carl Koppelman.

On April 18, 1980, the mummified corpse of a woman was discovered on the banks of the North Canadian River close to Jones in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. The presence of three gunshot wounds upon her body clearly indicated her death was a homicide.[90] One of these wounds contained clothing fibers and a dime that had been driven into the body by a .45 caliber bullet. Due to the fact quicklime that had been poured onto her remains in a likely attempt to accelerate decomposition, the woman became known as "Lime Lady".[90]

She was estimated to be between the ages of 18 and 25, five feet six inches tall and weighed approximately 115 to 120 pounds. She had a heart tattoo on her chest as well as an appendectomy scar. It is believed that she may have been murdered by a biker gang earlier in the year or in 1979, although some contemporary reports indicate she may have been deceased for as little as ten days. Multiple facial reconstructions of the decedent have been created, and her DNA was extracted for profiling in 2014.[91][92] The DNA Doe Project began DNA testing in 2019, and was able to generate a usable profile by the end of the year.[93]

It was announced on January 30, 2020 that the victim was identified as 21-year-old Tamara Lee Tigard, a member of the United States Army, last known to reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.[94][95][96]

On April 21, 2004, a woman's skeletal remains were found rolled up in a carpet in Phoenix, Arizona. In February 2020, she was identified as Ginger Lynn Bibb.[97]

On December 3, 2017, a fragment of a human skull was found on the driveway of a rural residence in Dallas, Wisconsin. Investigators determined that it belonged to a white/Asian-American male between 35 and 55 years old. Investigators determined the cause of death as homicide by a gunshot wound to the head.[98] Forensic genealogy began on February 25, 2020, and a potential candidate was revealed in less than two days. On June 23, 2020, the doe in which the skull belonged to was positively identified as Gary Albert Herbst. This also marks the first Doe to be identified through the project who did not have a forensic reconstruction made.[99]

On November 19, 2020, Gary's son and wife, Austin and Connie were charged with second degree murder in his homicide.[100]

On August 11, 2003, the decomposed body of a middle aged or elderly white male was found in the Holston River near Riverfront Park in Kingsport, Tennessee. Investigators could not find any sign of foul play and believe that the man had possibly drowned. He also could have washed to the place he was found from anywhere upstream. He was believed to be in the river for between seven and ten days. The man was estimated to be between 40 and 80 years old, was between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, and weighed between 170 and 180 pounds. He had gray hair and was clean shaven. Eye color could not be ascertained. He was found wearing a pair of blue jeans, a black belt, a white sleeveless button-up shirt with blue and burgundy stripes and a pair of black shoes. The man's description did not match any missing person report in the area, and his fingerprints did not match any in any federal database. The man was found to be missing most of his teeth.

On August 6, 2020, the Kingsport Police Department announced that the decedent was 64-year-old Jerry D. Holbert from Charleston, West Virginia. Holbert, who suffered from dementia, was reported missing on August 4, 2003, after he left his residence and heading to the bus station, planning to visit a relative in Ohio. Circumstances indicate that no foul play was involved.[101]

On May 18, 1997, the decomposed body of a middle-aged white male was found in the Great Miami River in Butler County, Ohio. He was between 30 and 60 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed between 120 and 140 pounds. He had a surgical scar on the bone over the right eye and an 'unusually' protruding chin. He also suffered from cirrhosis. All of his teeth had also recently been extracted. He was found wearing blue jeans, white Fruit of the Loom underwear, a brown belt, and a necklace with a metal clasp. He was also found wearing a watch with the band and outer frame present, however the inner case and face were gone. The DNA Doe Project was asked to assist with the case in June, 2019.[102][103]

In September 2020, through a DNA match to relatives, he was identified as Larry Joe Porter from Dayton, Ohio, who had lost touch with his family while traveling around the area of Butler County. According to a coroner, his death was consistent with being struck by a vehicle, and is not considered homicidal in nature.[104]

DMV photograph of Shirley Cassel.

On July 28, 2018, a child found a severed leg, severed from the knee down, floating in Buena Vista Lake in Kern County, California. No other body parts were located after an extensive search. The leg belonged to a woman who was described as "relatively small" and appeared to not have been severed by traumatic means. Information such as race, age, height and weight could not be initially determined. The leg was examined by the DNA Doe Project in June, 2019, to gain DNA for forensic genealogy.[105] A genetic admixture test was later conducted and determined that the woman in which the leg belonged to was of over 50% Sub-Saharan descent, meaning she was most likely African American.[106]

On October 15, 2020, it was announced that the leg belonged to Shirley Cassel from Santa Ana, California. Cassel was reported missing on August 21, 2017, after leaving her residence in Santa Ana. Her car was later lifted from Buena Vista Lake on July 12, 2020 with the rest of her body inside of it. DNA testing concluded that the leg belonged to the remains found in the car, and the remains were identified as Cassel. Investigators believe there was no foul play surrounding her death.[107]

On February 14, 1974, the decomposing remains of a young/middle aged man were found by a group of hikers at the bottom of a steep slope near US Route 285 in Grant, Colorado. He was estimated to be between 30 and 60 years old, was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed approximately 160 pounds. He was found wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, long johns and boots. He had died sometime during late 1973, about four months prior.

Investigators could not find any definitive signs of foul play. No vehicles or personal effects were found nearby, either.[108]

On October 20, 2020, he was identified as Anthony John Armbrust III. Armbrust was a leader of a metaphysical church in San Diego, California. Armbrust had apparently made a suicide pact with his wife, Renee Armbrust, after learning that he had emphysema, which he thought was terminal. Renee is still missing to this day. He sent a letter to his church, asking them to retrieve some belongings as well as a German Shepherd puppy he had in his apartment in Golden, Colorado. He stated that he wished to commit suicide in the Colorado Mountains by "being taken by God".[109]

During genealogy research, the project found that Armbrust had many German and Hungarian ancestors. They also found that one of his highest matches on GEDMatch had been adopted at some point during his life.

On November 17, 1984, the skull and various other skeletal remains of a white male were discovered in a wooded area in Giddings, Texas. The man was estimated to be between 29 and 38 years old, stood between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet 1 inch. Weight, eye color and hair color could not be ascertained. The man had been dead for approximately six months, and a cause of death could not be ascertained. The man had a unique frontal bone which made a sharp dip at the bridge of his nose, which would have caused a rightward deviating nose. Police were able to create a reconstructive sketch of what the man may have looked like in 2008. His case was taken on by the DNA Doe Project in June, 2019.[110]

On October 21, 2020, the man was conclusively identified as James L. Hamm, after the project was able to find a brother on FamilyTreeDNA, in June. James' brother, Eugene, who was living in Florida, had said that his brother had been missing since 1984, the same year the skeletal remains were discovered. After DNA was compared between the two men, they were conclusively found to be brothers, and the Doe was identified as James.[111]

Reconstruction of Pamela Buckley and James Freund by Carl Koppelman

On August 9, 1976, a pair of young adults were found on a narrow frontage road between Sumter and Florence, South Carolina. They had been shot multiple times. The DNA Doe Project was contacted on July 24, 2019, to assist with identification, and both were identified on January 19, 2021.[112]

The male, nicknamed "Jock Doe", was identified as James Paul Freund, last seen in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The female was identified as Pamela Mae Buckley, last seen in Colorado Springs, Colorado. [113]

On March 21, 1984, the skeletal remains of a teenage girl were discovered in a grassy area which is now the SeaTac Airport in Seattle, Washington. She was believed to be a possible victim of serial killer, Gary Ridgway. Ridgway had stated that he picked up the girl (who he stated that he assumed was in her 20's) on the side of the Pacific Coast Highway sometime in 1983. He later strangled her to death and buried her near the baseball field where she was found. Investigators are unsure of Ridgway's actual involvement in her death. [114]

The DNA Doe Project began testing on the remains on June 12, 2020, [115] and on January 25, 2021, she was identified as Wendy Stephens of Colorado. [116]

On December 30, 2018, the partially buried, skeletal remains of a woman were found in a rural area a distance from Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana. They had been buried in an old barn. She was estimated to be of Cajun French and African American ancestry and was between 25 and 35 years old. Weight, height, hair color and eye color could not be ascertained. Investigators initially believed that she had been buried on the property for up to ten years. A witness also gave detectives information, saying that the owner of the property which she was found had been involved with high risk females. The DNA Doe Project was asked to assist with identification on August 10, 2019. [117]

She was identified on February 5, 2021 as Erica Hunt of Opelousas, Louisiana. She had gone missing on July 4, 2016. [118]

Following is a chart of the DNA Doe Project's ongoing cases, along with an indication of where each case is in the process: