DNA Doe Project - General Discussion #2

[djanga]

the comparison of the reconstruction and the actual photo of Frankie (from the link above)

 

[djanga]

Wow, the second identification in one day
Smith County John Doe (Barn Doe) has been identified and confirmed. His name is Kim Ryan Casey
DNA Doe Project helps Tyler police identify remains found in 2004

DNA Doe Project helps Tyler police identify remains found in 2004

Tyler Police Department officers are responding to a disturbance in downtown Tyler. (Source: Jeff Chavez, KLTV)(KLTV)
By KLTV Digital Media Staff
Published: Dec. 14, 2021 at 6:13 PM CET|Updated: 28 minutes ago


TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Investigative genetic genealogists from the DNA Doe Project, along with Tyler Police Detective James Holt, have confirmed the identification of the remains of a man found in 2004.

On December 23, 2004 juveniles found a decomposed human skeleton in a barn in a wooded area near the intersection of Hwy 69S and FM 2813 in South Tyler, Smith County, Texas. A Forensic Medical Examiner determined the remains were that of a white male thought to be between 27 and 42 years old. It was estimated the man died months earlier that same year. Now, those remains have been identified as Kim Ryan Casey.

Detective James Holt of the Tyler Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit brought the case to the DNA Doe Project in 2019 after exhausting all available leads. Volunteer investigative genetic genealogists from the DNA Doe Project were able to identify a candidate in August of 2021 and Detective Holt was then able to contact family members to confirm the match.

“The research tree sent us as far away as Scotland to find common ancestors between DNA matches. We were challenged by matches that were more distantly related than expected, which was due to endogamy in the Kentucky and Missouri regions of the family tree,” said Missy Koski, a volunteer genealogist. “This case had some interesting challenges, including a DNA sample that was very small in quantity and heavily contaminated with bacteria,” Kevin Lord, Lab Liaison for the DNA Doe Project shared, “I’m glad that despite these hurdles, we were able to identify Kim and bring some answers to his family.”

Copyright 2021 KLTV. All rights reserved.

 

[doggybag2355]

I hope they start releasing some more information regarding some of their slower moving cases to help kick-start leads, it seems to really work like with Shirley Soosay. I think Vernon Co. Jane Doe, "Monique", Rockledge Jane Doe, Kings Co. Jane Doe and Mecklenburg Co. Jane Doe could really use that kick in particular, they seem to be moving agonizingly slowly.

 

[djanga]

 

[JovanSrna]

I'm quite happy about Twinsburg John Doe being identified. He's one of their earlier cases. When I first started following them, the most recent case was West Manchester John Doe from 2013. The active cases are listed chronologically from when the project started working on them so the most recent ones are always on top of the website.

 

[djanga]

I'm quite happy about Twinsburg John Doe being identified. He's one of their earlier cases. When I first started following them, the most recent case was West Manchester John Doe from 2013. The active cases are listed chronologically from when the project started working on them so the most recent ones are always on top of the website.

I think it was discussed from the old cases Chattanooga Birchwood John Doe 2006 could have been identified. All these cases need to be identified is a new high match!

 

[JovanSrna]

I just realized they've solved all of their cases from Ohio. A 100% clearance rate. Colleen called Ohio their lucky state in one interview, for ISHI I believe and/or when Louise Flesher was identified. A lot of their pilot cases were from Ohio too, Marcia King and Robert Nichols most prominently. Early solves too. I'm very eager to see their earliest cases solved. The state has 104 cases on NamUs at the moment.

 

[doggybag2355]

I just realized they've solved all of their cases from Ohio. A 100% clearance rate. Colleen called Ohio their lucky state in one interview, for ISHI I believe and/or when Louise Flesher was identified. A lot of their pilot cases were from Ohio too, Marcia King and Robert Nichols most prominently. Early solves too. I'm very eager to see their earliest cases solved. The state has 104 cases on NamUs at the moment.

Let's hope they take more!

 

[doggybag2355]

New case from Kentucky: Hardin Co John Doe 2006 - DNA Doe Project Cases

 

[djanga]

New article about all DDP’s ongoing Phoenix cases, there is also information on last month identification of Baseline John Doe, he is confirmed to be identified, his identity was not released:

Murdered Phoenix Man Identified After Nearly 40 Years — But There's Hundreds More Waiting


The 1983 Baseline John Doe, depicted in a police sketch here, was identified on November 5, 2021.
DNA Doe Project
On September 11, 1983, the murder victim was found in a field near Baseline Road and South Central Avenue. He was bludgeoned to death.

The victim was likely 50 years old when he was killed in a drunken altercation, based on matching details reported in the FBI's Supplemental Homicide Report.

The Phoenix Police Department, teaming up with the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office and the California-based nonprofit DNA Doe Project, identified the victim last month.

Loved ones had been searching for answers for decades.

“This man had a family who missed him,” said Cairenn Binder, the genealogist who led the DNA Doe Project team that closed the timeworn case. “He was a clever man who had experienced mental illness and misfortune in his life”

 

[djanga]

I hope they start releasing some more information regarding some of their slower moving cases to help kick-start leads, it seems to really work like with Shirley Soosay. I think Vernon Co. Jane Doe, "Monique", Rockledge Jane Doe, Kings Co. Jane Doe and Mecklenburg Co. Jane Doe could really use that kick in particular, they seem to be moving agonizingly slowly.

The above article also has information on Moniqie:
Through genealogical research, it was determined Monique’s family is African-American and from Mississippi.

“I have high hopes that her case is solvable once we find the right connections in her family tree,” Binder said.

 

[JovanSrna]

They also mention Box Mike. His ancestry is likely in eastern Europe, with some immigrants fleeing communism possibly. They say it's a tough case.

 

[snowgoose]

New case from Kentucky: Hardin Co John Doe 2006 - DNA Doe Project Cases

His Websleuths thread: KY - KY - Elizabethtown, WhtMale UP750, 50-70, I-65 no trauma, salt&pepper hair, ‘dental torus’, Dec’06

 

[djanga]

They also mention Box Mike. His ancestry is likely in eastern Europe, with some immigrants fleeing communism possibly. They say it's a tough case.

Oh, Eastern Europe is huge, interesting where exactly he was from. Soviet republics? Than they probably fleed before 1920-ies (only a few dissidents were able to flee in 1980-ies). May be he was from the kommunist blog (Poland, Czhechoslovakia). But I can imagine that his matches are very low, mine are super low in Gedmatch as well

 

[djanga]

Joan updated the spreadsheet, there are no changes this time.

 

[doggybag2355]

I hope we get one more announcement before the year is out

 

[djanga]

New article about the DDP, this year was amazing for genetic Genealogy:

In four years, the project has identified more than 70 John and Jane Doe's. Binder said at least a third of those identifications happened in the last year

DNA Doe Project hopes to identify thousands of human remains | 12news.com

 

[djanga]

It looks like the DDP makes a lot of efforts to identify it’s Latin Does, there is a new article about Trabucco County John Doe and it says the case managers brought a new team of volunteers who specialize in Spanish Language Databases, I hope they will work on other DDP Latin cases (Ventura Jane Doe, Mecklenburg John Doe, Roberto, Broadway Phoenix Jane Doe):

In September 2021, a new team of volunteers was brought onto the case by DNA Doe Project Case Managers that are specialists in Spanish Language databases. In conjunction with this renewed effort, a forensic artist affiliated with the DNA Doe Project has provided an additional rendering of the unidentified subject.

The OC Sheriff is trying to identify a dead Latino teen found nearly 25 years ago in Trabuco Canyon

 

[djanga]

I also have a good feeling about those two Ottawa Co. (MI) cases, Matilda and Jenny. I believe the most recent news article update stated that the detectives were going to follow up on out-of-state leads, which seems to suggest there could be tentative IDs in both cases.

Edit: also interesting to see that Rohnert JD's profile was already on GEDmatch and DDP was just brought aboard later to assist with the genealogical work ID. I wonder if something similar might become an option for El Dorado Jane Doe (if it isn't being done with someone else already), by all accounts, a tough case due to a likely adoption.

You were right! Now it is confirmed! Matilda was tentatively identified! Not much information is available so far, only that she was 29 years old and was from Minnesota. The woman was 29 when she disappeared. She was last seen in October 1993 in Minneapolis.

Also they were able to confirm her diagnosis (they thought she had this disease):

Detectives interviewed her relatives in Minnesota who told them she had been diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, which led to repeated surgeries on her left knee

Ottawa County body known only as ‘Matilda’ may finally have a name | WOODTV.com

 

[djanga]

I think on December 31 there will be a traditional poster with all the cases solved this year! There are around 21 official announcements in 2021 (in two cases from 21, identities were withheld), but I think many more were solved, but not announced yet and at least 3 cases were solved before 2021, but not announced. What a good year!