DNA Doe Project - General Discussion #3

[djanga]

So many amazing questions! I’m really grateful for Janel’s and Rebecca’s kind and thoughtful answers. Somebody asked about King’s County Jane Doe, and here is their answer:
King's County Jane Doe's team continues to work on the complex genealogy involved. Our agency partners did commission a phenotype reconstruction, but that is the extent of Parabon's involvement in the case.

 

[The4TierBridge]

Kanawha River John Doe, a past case, doesn't have a thread here or a NamUs profile, but in the NatGeo Reddit AMA they confirmed it is still unsolved.

"Kanawha River John Doe's case was never actually submitted to the lab, so we did not start any work before the agency decided to send their sample elsewhere."

 

[othram]

So many amazing questions! I’m really grateful for Janel’s and Rebecca’s kind and thoughtful answers. Somebody asked about King’s County Jane Doe, and here is their answer:
King's County Jane Doe's team continues to work on the complex genealogy involved. Our agency partners did commission a phenotype reconstruction, but that is the extent of Parabon's involvement in the case.

Baffling why people continue to pay for these "phenotype" reconstructions.

 

[MarziPanda]

Baffling why people continue to pay for these "phenotype" reconstructions.

I think it's warranted in this case. She's already been going through genetic genealogy for years, but there's lots of endogamy and the genealogy is very, very complex. She was originally thought to be white but is actually a significant amount of indigenous, meaning she may have been from an indigenous and/or Hispanic family. So an updated recon was warranted to reflect this and getting the most accurate one possible may jog someone's memory in a case where genetic genealogy so far has failed.

 

[othram]

I think it's warranted in this case. She's already been going through genetic genealogy for years, but there's lots of endogamy and the genealogy is very, very complex. She was originally thought to be white but is actually a significant amount of indigenous, meaning she may have been from an indigenous and/or Hispanic family. So an updated recon was warranted to reflect this and getting the most accurate one possible may jog someone's memory in a case where genetic genealogy so far has failed.

DNA-based sketches are neither scientifically robust nor cost-effective. They often lack the specificity needed to be useful in investigations and, in practice, rarely lead to case resolution. Has anyone actually documented a case where one of these sketches directly led to an identification?

In our experience, especially with Indigenous cases and cases involving endogamy, reference testing has consistently been the more productive approach.

Here is a good read, if you are interested in DNA-based sketches: A Forensics Company Tells Cops It Can Use DNA to Predict a Suspect’s Face. Scientists Worry the Tool Will Deepen Racial Bias.

 

[djanga]

According to their Tiktok, the DDP identified two John Does in the beginning of August! One after another, it can be one of the new John Does which just passed to active research stage! Jmo

 

[djanga]

I created a thread for St. Johns Bridge John Doe, Portland, Oregon. The remains were found at the foot of the hill. He was fully dressed and had gloves on his hands.

D

Thread 'OR, North Portland, St. John's Bridge, WhtMale, 50-70, UP8259, at the foot of the hill, Ankylosing spondylitis, August 1992'

Aug 18, 2025

Fully clothed skeletal remains were discovered on August 17, 1992 in tall grass at the foot of a hill underneath the St. John's Bridge in North Portland, Oregon. Remains found by workmen clearing a parcel of land. The remains were fully clothed in a maroon colored jacket with fleece lining, MacGregor brand ankle boots and gray/ brown cotton gloves on both hands.

Circumstances​

TypeUnidentified Deceased
Date Body FoundAugust 17, 1992
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 13, 2010
ME/C QA ReviewedDecember 14, 2010

Location Found​

LocationPortland, Oregon 97212
CountyMultnomah County
GPS...

• djanga
• Replies: 0
• Forum: The Unidentified

• 

 

[djanga]

was just wondering about the DDP Canadian case — the Algonquin Park John Doe in Ontario. Has he been identified, and if so, how long does it usually take for law enforcement in Ontario to announce that a case has been solved?

Eaton County John Doe 2009 | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

 

[djanga]

Sorry.This is John Doe I referred to

Algonquin Park John Doe 1980 | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

CANADA Post in thread 'Canada - Whitney, Ont, WhtMale HC95, 18-29, @ Algonquin Park campsite, Apr'80 (Eric “Ricky” Singer of Cleveland, Ohio,)'

Apr 19, 2025

Algonquin John Doe has been unidentified for 45 years today.

• theshadow45

• 

 

[djanga]

correct link

https://www.facebook.com/100068121797204/posts/1077997904480926

 

[djanga]

New case from California

https://www.facebook.com/100068121797204/posts/1082631207350929

Jane Riverside Doe 1975 | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

 

[djanga]

Wow! New identification:Algonquin Park John Doe in Ontario identied as Eric “Ricky” Singer of Cleveland, Ohio, missing since October 4, 1973.

OPP links decades-old human remains found in Algonquin Park to Cleveland man

'Up until this time, I never felt sad because it has been such a long time and you get numb to it. This cuts through,' says Ricky Singer's 'grateful' sister

www.barrietoday.com

 

[djanga]

So many new cases have been announced today! I hope all the people will be bring to their families soon, two other new Does which are now with the DDP:

https://www.facebook.com/100068121797204/posts/1082638870683496

 

[djanga]

https://www.facebook.com/100068121797204/posts/1082621300685253

John Maricopa County Doe 1982 | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

 

[djanga]

https://www.facebook.com/100068121797204/posts/1082726654008051

 

[doggybag2355]

Bear Brook Jane Doe was identified as Rea Rasmussen: The Little Girl in the Barrel: A Bear Brook Mystery Solved

 

[djanga]

https://www.facebook.com/100068121797204/posts/1085015413779175

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1964939721676587090

 

[djanga]

https://www.doj.nh.gov/news-and-media/identification-final-unidentified-victim-allenstown-nh-homicide-case-bear-brook

Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella and Colonel Mark B. Hall of the New Hampshire State Police announce a major development on behalf of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit in the investigation of the 1985/2000 Allenstown homicide case, widely referred to as the Bear Brook murders.

The final unidentified victim - previously known as the “middle child” - has been identified as Rea Rasmussen, born in 1976 in Orange County, California. Rea was the biological daughter of Terry Peder Rasmussen, the man responsible for the murders (who died in prison in 2010), and Pepper Reed, who was born in 1952, is originally from Texas, and has not been seen since the late 1970s.
This identification concludes a more than 40-year search to give names to all four victims found in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire.

“This case has weighed on New Hampshire and the nation for decades. With Rea Rasmussen’s identification, all four victims now have their names back. This development is the result of extraordinary perseverance by law enforcement, forensic experts, and our Cold Case Unit,” said Attorney General Formella. “Our commitment to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes, remains unwavering. We continue to seek answers about the disappearance of Pepper Reed.”

 

[djanga]

NEW IDENTIFICATION!!!

https://www.facebook.com/100068121797204/posts/1087060096908040