Identified! WA - Arlington, Asian/NativeMale, UP17865, hammer toe, belt w/GRN buckle, arch support shoes, Jul'80 - Othaniel Philip Ames

[CptCari]

Good news because we have already been working on it for a while!

Praise the Lord!!! This is so exciting!!!!!!

 

[othram]

SOLVED: Stilly John Doe (1980) is Identifed

 

[wary]

SOLVED: Stilly John Doe (1980) is Identifed

82 years old!

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Rest in peace, Othaniel Ames.

 

[Hochman]

View attachment 379015View attachment 379016
Rest in peace, Othaniel Ames.

The reconstruction is pretty accurate. The jaw and eyes are really close.

 

[sasha17]

Finally! Thank you for your work on this, @othram. I'm so happy Mr. Ames's family has closure after all these years.

Lots more detail in the local newspaper article: 42 years later, authorities unmask identity of ‘Stilly Doe’ | HeraldNet.com

 

[MadMcGoo]

Tremendous news!!!

Rest peacefully now Othaniel.

 

[MadMcGoo]

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/104369/Snohomish-County-Identifies-I-5-Stilly-Doe-Using-Forensic-DNA-and-Genealogy?bidId=

42 years later, authorities unmask identity of ‘Stilly Doe’ | HeraldNet.com

Advances in DNA technology, paired with forensic genealogy research, helped identify Othaniel Philip Ames, 82, a dairy farmer.

www.heraldnet.com

Authorities confirmed the man’s name Thursday at a press conference. He was Othaniel Philip Ames, a dairyman from the Midwest born Aug. 23, 1898.

Othaniel’s daughter-in-law, Margaret Ames, now 81, knew he lost touch with some of his family members around 1980. A few months before the body was found, while in poor health, Othaniel Ames had told other family members he was going on a trip. It doesn’t appear anybody made a missing-person report.

 

[YaYa_521]

Rest in peace, Mr. Ames.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

More photos from the above article.

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/104369/Snohomish-County-Identifies-I-5-Stilly-Doe-Using-Forensic-DNA-and-Genealogy?bidId=

42 years later, authorities unmask identity of ‘Stilly Doe’ | HeraldNet.com

Advances in DNA technology, paired with forensic genealogy research, helped identify Othaniel Philip Ames, 82, a dairy farmer.

www.heraldnet.com

Authorities confirmed the man’s name Thursday at a press conference. He was Othaniel Philip Ames, a dairyman from the Midwest born Aug. 23, 1898.

Othaniel’s daughter-in-law, Margaret Ames, now 81, knew he lost touch with some of his family members around 1980. A few months before the body was found, while in poor health, Othaniel Ames had told other family members he was going on a trip. It doesn’t appear anybody made a missing-person report.

 

[NeverPersonal]

he was QUITE the handsome fella in his young age!
glad Othaniel got his name back.

 

[wary]

A question, just to help us think about other unsolved cases.

What is the actual explanation of the Asian/‘Native American?’ My guess, based on his looks, name, and biography, would be some ‘Native American’ DNA, but not enough to make people wonder if he might be the UID, even if by any chance they saw the description of the UID.

He was 20 years older than the oldest estimate of his age? Again, no criticism of the coroner, but obviously, ages can be far from correct.

All MOO, of course

 

[iamshadow21]

A question, just to help us think about other unsolved cases.

What is the actual explanation of the Asian/‘Native American?’ My guess, based on his looks, name, and biography, would be some ‘Native American’ DNA, but not enough to make people wonder if he might be the UID, even if by any chance they saw the description of the UID.

He was 20 years older than the oldest estimate of his age? Again, no criticism of the coroner, but obviously, ages can be far from correct.

All MOO, of course

Perhaps it was another case of an elected coroner who wasn't a forensic pathologist or forensic anthropologist doing their best? He was dead for months. I doubt it would have been from examination of his remains visually. He likely wouldn't have been recognisable. Perhaps he still had hair left that looked naturally dark, and pegged him as younger, despite the heart disease pointing a bit older. The reconstruction looks to have been good, though. And, of course, @othram doing wonderful work. It's so important, especially in cases like these where the parameters we're given to go by are so far off. I doubt anyone would have put the decedent's name together with this Doe, with both age and race so far off base.

Sleep well, Mr Ames.

 

[Springrain]

RIP Othaniel, I am so glad you can go home now.

So wow, I was way off with my guesses, another case of incorrect data I guess. I hope they can figure out a COD.

Does anyone know where he is buried or what happened to his remains? I'm local to the Arlington area, so I'm curious.

 

[othram]

A question, just to help us think about other unsolved cases.

What is the actual explanation of the Asian/‘Native American?’ My guess, based on his looks, name, and biography, would be some ‘Native American’ DNA, but not enough to make people wonder if he might be the UID, even if by any chance they saw the description of the UID.

He was 20 years older than the oldest estimate of his age? Again, no criticism of the coroner, but obviously, ages can be far from correct.

All MOO, of course

DNA testing is simply the only way to be sure of biogeographical ancestry.

More on that here: Estimating Human Ancestry

 

[Tower]

A question, just to help us think about other unsolved cases.

What is the actual explanation of the Asian/‘Native American?’ My guess, based on his looks, name, and biography, would be some ‘Native American’ DNA, but not enough to make people wonder if he might be the UID, even if by any chance they saw the description of the UID.

He was 20 years older than the oldest estimate of his age? Again, no criticism of the coroner, but obviously, ages can be far from correct.

All MOO, of course

I am baffled about the same things. This gentleman was in the water for months, but the reconstruction looks like a much younger person of a totally different ethnicity. I wonder why he looked indigenous or East Asian? I would be curious how his eyebrows went from normal in his youth to a bushy unibrow in the reconstruction?

An interesting case and thank you, @othram!!

 

[iamshadow21]

I am baffled about the same things. This gentleman was in the water for months, but the reconstruction looks like a much younger person of a totally different ethnicity. I wonder why he looked indigenous or East Asian? I would be curious how his eyebrows went from normal in his youth to a bushy unibrow in the reconstruction?

An interesting case and thank you, @othram!!

I don't know, but I have noticed as I've hit my forties, my eyebrows are a bit wilder and some of the hairs are very curly. I remember my grandad having very wild eyebrows, so I think it might be genetic. I really like it, since I don't look much like him, otherwise. I have always had a mix of curly and straight head hair, because each of my bioparents had very different textures going on, one with coarse red wavy, one with very fine and straight dark brown.

It's more likely they just guessed with the eyebrows, but, if not, maybe they were a different texture in his senior life?

My opinion, and personal hair textures, only. Sample size of literally one (me!)

 

[MarziPanda]

I don't know, but I have noticed as I've hit my forties, my eyebrows are a bit wilder and some of the hairs are very curly. I remember my grandad having very wild eyebrows, so I think it might be genetic. I really like it, since I don't look much like him, otherwise. I have always had a mix of curly and straight head hair, because each of my bioparents had very different textures going on, one with coarse red wavy, one with very fine and straight dark brown.

It's more likely they just guessed with the eyebrows, but, if not, maybe they were a different texture in his senior life?

My opinion, and personal hair textures, only. Sample size of literally one (me!)

My grandad had 'normal' eyebrows in his youth but by the time he passed away at 88, they were super wild. A thick texture too, like bristles. I think it's fairly common but I couldn't tell you why!


RIP Othaniel. This was a case I've been watching for a while. He must have been in good shape (minus the heart condition) to have seemed a lot younger. I wonder if he was fishing and had a heart attack and fell in. The blurry pictures of him when older look more like the reconstruction, his jaw and face are a bit wider and more filled out. I'm glad his family got closure. It tickles me a little that Othaniel was identified by Othram. It was destiny!

 

[the_missing]

Finally! Thank you for your work on this, @othram. I'm so happy Mr. Ames's family has closure after all these years.

Lots more detail in the local newspaper article: 42 years later, authorities unmask identity of ‘Stilly Doe’ | HeraldNet.com

Yikes. The grandson looks exactly like the reconstruction.

Glad to see this case solved. The fact that he deeded away his house and gave away other possessions makes me suspect it was a suicide.

 

[Susikatze]

Age estimates beyond 50 are tricky because there is little bone change from then and typical markers related to advanced age such as reduced bone density, dental loss and erosion and arthritic changes can be present in younger individuals as well due to illness, physical labor and genetics.
He was a physically active man in good shape aside from his CHD (which can occur in way younger people) so i am not surprised he was estimated younger.