TN TN- off I-275 at the Woodlawn entrance ramp, Knox County John Doe # 1545, Nov; '03, DNA - Brian Aleric Sanderson, born June 24 '49.

[dotr]

Knox County John Doe (2023) is now Identified

Knox County Regional Forensic Center Teams with Othram to Identify a 2003 John Doe

dnasolves.com

''In November 2003, partial skeletal remains belonging to an unidentified individual were discovered by a passerby on I-275 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Knoxville Police Department responded to the scene, with the University of Tennessee assisting in the recovery and examination of the remains. Years later, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center took possession of the remains to conduct an investigation and evaluation, where an anthropologist conducted a full anthropological evaluation, determining that the remains were those of a white male, estimated to be between 5'0" and 5'2" in height and approximately 40 to 60 years old.

Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP1545''.
''DNA reference samples were collected from one of these relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This led to the positive identification of the man, now known as Brian Aleric Sanderson, born on June 24, 1949. Funding for casework cost associated with Othram’s testing was provided by a congressional grant provided by Congressman Tim Burchett's office.''

https://www.wate.com/news/knox-county-news/man-identified-in-2003-knox-county-cold-case/

'The case began more than two decades ago, when on Nov. 30, 2003, a passerby discovered human remains along Interstate 275 at the Woodlawn entrance ramp near the railroad tracks, and the Knoxville Police Department responded. Then, an anthropology team from the University of Tennessee assisted in the recovery and examination of the remains.'

''In late 2022, the Knox County RFC contacted Othram, a company that specializes in cold cases through DNA analysis and traditional genealogy. Othram – with the help of a federal grant secured by U.S. Rep Tim Burchett – matched the information to Sanderson. ''

''Authorities say nearly 400 people go missing in Tennessee each year. That’s five people for every 100,000. Check this list of people missing from East Tennessee to see if you can help locate someone.''

 

[dotr]

Man forensic center identified after 20+ years was homicide victim, report says

A Knox County Regional Forensic Center report obtained by WVLT News is shedding more light on a cold case more than 20 years old

www.wvlt.tv

The center’s report claims that Sanderson died of several stab wounds to the chest, calling it a homicide.'


'

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I do hope we find out why he was where he was found... far from home, which was Vermont.

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

I'm pretty sure this is a photo of him at the local carnival from 1960, very similar to his look in the photo released by LE.

Brian Sanderson 1960

Clipping found in The Brattleboro Reformer published in Brattleboro, Vermont on 8/5/1960. Brian Sanderson 1960

www.newspapers.com

It looks like this maybe wasn't Brian's first go as a missing person. This report from 1967 is consistent with his location, age, and height, although the weight is not consistent with yearbook photos, where he looks very slim.

Brian Sanderson 1967 Missing

Clipping found in Bennington Banner published in Bennington, Vermont on 8/16/1967. Brian Sanderson 1967 Missing

www.newspapers.com

In June 1970, he appeared in court in Vermont related to a probation violation from 1968, at which point he's described as being a circus worker in Florida. His mother's obituary noted that she was living in Florida from 1968-1978, so this may explain the Florida connection. However, in November 1970, he again appears in the paper, with charges for "furnishing malt beverages to minors," but is noted as living in Brattleboro, VT.

Brian A. Sanderson, Brattleboro 1970

Clipping found in The Brattleboro Reformer published in Brattleboro, Vermont on 11/10/1970. Brian A. Sanderson, Brattleboro 1970

www.newspapers.com

It appears his parents were married and divorced from others prior to their own marriage, followed by their divorce from one another when he was 6-7 years old. Per a contemporary newspaper, there were three children of the marriage. His mother remarried a couple of years later, and Brian's mentioned as living in Brattleboro, VT, at the time of her death in 1996 (I hesitate to link the whole thing, for the sake of his family's privacy). After that, though, nothing I can definitively link to Brian. There are a few other men in the area with the same first/last name, and it can be difficult to distinguish between them.

I believe this is a report of when the remains were found, based on the date and location of discovery; they were initially believed to be those of a white woman--possibly due to his small stature? At that time, they were believed to have been in that location for ~1 yr, with an encampment for the unhoused nearby.

Knox Doe 2003

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 12/2/2003. Knox Doe 2003

www.newspapers.com

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I'm pretty sure this is a photo of him at the local carnival from 1960, very similar to his look in the photo released by LE.

Brian Sanderson 1960

Clipping found in The Brattleboro Reformer published in Brattleboro, Vermont on 8/5/1960. Brian Sanderson 1960

www.newspapers.com

It looks like this maybe wasn't Brian's first go as a missing person. This report from 1967 is consistent with his location, age, and height, although the weight is not consistent with yearbook photos, where he looks very slim.

Brian Sanderson 1967 Missing

Clipping found in Bennington Banner published in Bennington, Vermont on 8/16/1967. Brian Sanderson 1967 Missing

www.newspapers.com

In June 1970, he appeared in court in Vermont related to a probation violation from 1968, at which point he's described as being a circus worker in Florida. His mother's obituary noted that she was living in Florida from 1968-1978, so this may explain the Florida connection. However, in November 1970, he again appears in the paper, with charges for "furnishing malt beverages to minors," but is noted as living in Brattleboro, VT.

Brian A. Sanderson, Brattleboro 1970

Clipping found in The Brattleboro Reformer published in Brattleboro, Vermont on 11/10/1970. Brian A. Sanderson, Brattleboro 1970

www.newspapers.com

It appears his parents were married and divorced from others prior to their own marriage, followed by their divorce from one another when he was 6-7 years old. Per a contemporary newspaper, there were three children of the marriage. His mother remarried a couple of years later, and Brian's mentioned as living in Brattleboro, VT, at the time of her death in 1996 (I hesitate to link the whole thing, for the sake of his family's privacy). After that, though, nothing I can definitively link to Brian. There are a few other men in the area with the same first/last name, and it can be difficult to distinguish between them.

I believe this is a report of when the remains were found, based on the date and location of discovery; they were initially believed to be those of a white woman--possibly due to his small stature? At that time, they were believed to have been in that location for ~1 yr, with an encampment for the unhoused nearby.

Knox Doe 2003

Clipping found in The Knoxville News-Sentinel published in Knoxville, Tennessee on 12/2/2003. Knox Doe 2003

www.newspapers.com

Great information here... thanks hugely.
I took a few minutes to try to find more in Vermont..but got sidetracked, so this info does say a lot.
Kindof why there was not real active searching, or family trying to find him...

His mother is Maxine, correct? What was her obit name?