Identified! NC- Male, AA, #96-154, Northampton County, 24 Dec.1995 - Edward Evans

[dotr]

Dec 10 2021
Human remains found in 1995 identified

Northampton County Sheriff Jack Smith said in a statement, “We pray and hope this will bring closure for Mr. Evans’ family. The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office will always do everything it can in similar cases.”
''Lieutenant Alan B. Roye of the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office said the identity of the person is Edward Evans, who according to the medical examiner was between 60- to 70-years when the human remains were examined.

Roye said the opinion of the medical examiner is that Evans died of natural causes and had died probably two to three years before his remains were found.

For Roye, the eventual identification of Evans holds promise for similar cases. “I have never had anything like this before,” he said. “It’s phenomenal technology has advanced so much. All it took was his grandson submitting his DNA to a database. I think we’ll start seeing more of these identified around the world. It’s one of the most spectacular things I’ve been involved in. It gives me hope that more cases will have the same results.”

Northampton County Sheriff Jack Smith said in a statement, “We pray and hope this will bring closure for Mr. Evans’ family. The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office will always do everything it can in similar cases.”

Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP2794
Estimated Age Range (Years)
50 - 70
Estimated Year of Death
0-1995
Male
Race / Ethnicity
Black / African American
Height
5'-9" - (69 - inches) Estimated

Date Body Found
December 24, 1995
Location Found
--, North Carolina
Location
undefined, North Carolina
County
Northampton County
''Circumstances of Recovery
Located by hunters approximately 3 miles into the woods to the banks of the Roanoke River off of Highway 46, 1/2 mile from I-95.''

 

[dotr]

After 26 years, Northampton John Doe (1995) is Identified
rbbm.
"In December 1995, metal detectorists were exploring the area near the Roanoke River in the Garysburg (Northampton County) North Carolina area. They came upon what they thought was a large smooth stone. After picking it up, they discovered that it was a human skull. They called the Northampton County Sheriff's Office. Officers responded and upon a closer examination of the area found an intact skeleton. The skeleton was covered with a thin layer of soil and leaves. It was clothed in a pair of brown pants and a dark coat. The North Carolina SBI was notified who sent agents to the location and assisted the Sheriff's Office with exhuming the remains.

The remains were transported to the North Carolina State Medical Examiner's Office in Raleigh where an examination was performed. The medical examiner determined that the deceased was an approximately 60 - 70-year-old, black male, 5 foot 9 and would have weighed approximately 150 - 170 pounds. It was determined that the person had been deceased two to three years. All possible missing persons in the area were ruled out. In 2013, a DNA extraction was performed and the information was loaded in to the NamUS database with no matching results found. In December of 2018, Lieutenant Investigator Alan Roye of the Northampton County Sheriff's Office took over the case.

In September 2019, portions of the skeletal remains were sent to Othram for further advanced DNA testing, which was funded by the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office. Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile from the skeletal remains. With a profile in place, Othram conducted genealogical research funded by the National Center for Missing and Endangered, Inc., Jackson, North Carolina. Othram returned investigative leads to Detective Roye and he made contact with a close family member who told him that he had submitted his DNA because he was doing research to find out more about his family. He stated that the deceased is possibly his grandfather Edward Evans, who was estranged from the family and had not been seen in over thirty years and was never reported missing. He was last seen by grandson Victor Harper in 1982 at their home in Salisbury, Maryland.

A DNA swab was obtained a close family relative and the DNA sample was submitted for comparison. The North Carolina State Bureau of investigation compiled a family tree based on this information. The testing confirmed that the unknown man found in 1995 was, in fact, Edward Evans, the father of Gladys Evans Harper and grandfather of Orlando Harper. According to World War II draft records found; Edward Evans was born on March 16, 1906 in Northampton County North Carolina and was then living in Franklin (Southampton County) Virginia. Investigator Roye is still trying to locate other information about Edward Evans such as family in Northampton County.

Please contact Lieutenant Investigator Alan Roye at [email protected] , Office: 252-534-2611 ext. 7414 or mobile 252-678-4761.''

 

[Blurgle]

Rest in peace, sir.

 

[YaYa_521]

Rest in peace, Mr. Evans.

 

[dotr]

DNA identifies man found on Christmas 1995 | The Enterprise

“A special big thanks goes to Othram Inc. for their amazing work in advanced DNA research,” Northampton County Sheriff Jack Smith told the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald earlier this month. “Without them, this person would not have been identified. We pray and hope this will bring closure for Mr. Evans’ family.”

Othram works with law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada on cold cases that might benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram says its scientists are experts at recovery, enrichment and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials, according to information the company provided.

Founded in 2018, Othram is located in The Woodlands, Texas.''

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Very sad that this man was drafted to serve his country, became estranged from his family in his later years, and ended up alone and anonymous on a riverbank - hopefully not through violence. So many veterans are shattered by war, and Black WWII veterans came home to additional pain after their service. Rest in Peace, Mr. Evans.

 

[othram]

Very sad that this man was drafted to serve his country, became estranged from his family in his later years, and ended up alone and anonymous on a riverbank - hopefully not through violence. So many veterans are shattered by war, and Black WWII veterans came home to additional pain after their service. Rest in Peace, Mr. Evans.

It was really special to be able to help this family. This case had stalled for decades.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

It was really special to be able to help this family. This case had stalled for decades.

I'm sure I'm not alone in my gratitude to Othram's services. You have shone so much light into the world in recent years. Thank you!

 

[othram]

I'm sure I'm not alone in my gratitude to Othram's services. You have shone so much light into the world in recent years. Thank you!

You are very kind. We are very excited about 2022!