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Identified! OH - Twinsburg, BlkMale 20-35, UP5830, Feb'82 - Frank “Frankie” Little, Jr.
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Lkygrneyz13
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His identity was released
He was a guitarist of R&B group The O’Jays, Frank Little, Jr
Going home....
Remains found in 1982 identified as guitarist for R&B group The O’Jays
Updated 2021-12-14 09:05:51-05
TWINSBURG, Ohio — Human remains discovered in Twinsburg in 1982 have now been identified as those of Frank “Frankie” Little, Jr., who was a guitarist and songwriter for the R&B band The O’Jays, as a result of genealogical research from the DNA Doe Project.
The partial remains were recovered in a garbage bag behind a now-closed business on Cannon Road in Twinsburg, according to police. A worker found a skull in the snow behind the business. Police then discovered the other body parts in the garbage bag.
The manner of death has been ruled a homicide.
“It’s definitely nice that we can give some answers to the family and hopefully they have some sense of closure,” said Twinsburg Detective Eric Hendershott. “He had a life, and ultimately he ended up here in Twinsburg, with his life taken by another.”
Little was born in Cleveland in 1943 and raised here. In the mid-1960s, he was a guitarist and songwriter for The O’Jays. He also served in the U.S. Army for two years, including a deployment to Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
“Frankie was a member of the band in the 1960s,” Hendershott said. “He played guitar with the band in the studio and on tours.”
Little had a daughter who passed away in 2021 and a son who has not yet been located or identified, police said.
Little was last known to reside in Cleveland, and it is believed he was last alive in the mid-1970s. Not much is known about his disappearance or death
The identity of the remains were a mystery for almost 40 years, until, in October 2021, the DNA Doe Project provided names of potential living relatives who were able to provide Little’s name, the release states.
A brother in Georgia provided a DNA sample, which was analyzed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab. Little’s identity was confirmed by Dr. Lisa Kohler with the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Kohler said data provided to her through DNA testing revealed odds indicating it was 398,000,000 times more likely that the two men were brothers.
“It was clear that there was a match here, that we had finally been able to put a name to those remains,” Kohler said. “I feel comfortable saying he died from unknown injuries and that this is a homicide.”
Kohler said the remains are the oldest that are stored at the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office. Arrangements will eventually be made to turn Little over to relatives for a proper burial.
The connection between the old remains and The O’Jays was an unexpected twist for everyone involved in the case.
“The fact that he was a musician, and it seems like he had some degree of prominence at one point in time, it’s neat to have that background,” Kohler said.
Elias Chan, a volunteer with DNA Doe Project, worked on the case for more than two years.
Chan said the investigation was “far from a slam dunk” and hit many roadblocks along the way as the team searched for potential relatives, but the DNA link finally provided the answers the non-profit organization was seeking.
“The goal is to kind of hang in there, commit to it, keep checking those matches, keep going down the lines and keep thinking innovatively,” Chan said.
Hendershott said with the remains identified 39 years later, the focus now is trying to figure out who killed Little.
“We’re trying to figure out how he got there and who could have put him there. That’s what we don’t know,” he said.
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news...entified-as-guitarist-for-r-b-group-the-ojays
He was a guitarist of R&B group The O’Jays, Frank Little, Jr
Going home....
Remains found in 1982 identified as guitarist for R&B group The O’Jays
Updated 2021-12-14 09:05:51-05
TWINSBURG, Ohio — Human remains discovered in Twinsburg in 1982 have now been identified as those of Frank “Frankie” Little, Jr., who was a guitarist and songwriter for the R&B band The O’Jays, as a result of genealogical research from the DNA Doe Project.
The partial remains were recovered in a garbage bag behind a now-closed business on Cannon Road in Twinsburg, according to police. A worker found a skull in the snow behind the business. Police then discovered the other body parts in the garbage bag.
The manner of death has been ruled a homicide.
“It’s definitely nice that we can give some answers to the family and hopefully they have some sense of closure,” said Twinsburg Detective Eric Hendershott. “He had a life, and ultimately he ended up here in Twinsburg, with his life taken by another.”
Little was born in Cleveland in 1943 and raised here. In the mid-1960s, he was a guitarist and songwriter for The O’Jays. He also served in the U.S. Army for two years, including a deployment to Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
“Frankie was a member of the band in the 1960s,” Hendershott said. “He played guitar with the band in the studio and on tours.”
Little had a daughter who passed away in 2021 and a son who has not yet been located or identified, police said.
Little was last known to reside in Cleveland, and it is believed he was last alive in the mid-1970s. Not much is known about his disappearance or death
The identity of the remains were a mystery for almost 40 years, until, in October 2021, the DNA Doe Project provided names of potential living relatives who were able to provide Little’s name, the release states.
A brother in Georgia provided a DNA sample, which was analyzed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab. Little’s identity was confirmed by Dr. Lisa Kohler with the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Kohler said data provided to her through DNA testing revealed odds indicating it was 398,000,000 times more likely that the two men were brothers.
“It was clear that there was a match here, that we had finally been able to put a name to those remains,” Kohler said. “I feel comfortable saying he died from unknown injuries and that this is a homicide.”
Kohler said the remains are the oldest that are stored at the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office. Arrangements will eventually be made to turn Little over to relatives for a proper burial.
The connection between the old remains and The O’Jays was an unexpected twist for everyone involved in the case.
“The fact that he was a musician, and it seems like he had some degree of prominence at one point in time, it’s neat to have that background,” Kohler said.
Elias Chan, a volunteer with DNA Doe Project, worked on the case for more than two years.
Chan said the investigation was “far from a slam dunk” and hit many roadblocks along the way as the team searched for potential relatives, but the DNA link finally provided the answers the non-profit organization was seeking.
“The goal is to kind of hang in there, commit to it, keep checking those matches, keep going down the lines and keep thinking innovatively,” Chan said.
Hendershott said with the remains identified 39 years later, the focus now is trying to figure out who killed Little.
“We’re trying to figure out how he got there and who could have put him there. That’s what we don’t know,” he said.
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news...entified-as-guitarist-for-r-b-group-the-ojays
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Remains recovered in 1982 in Twinsburg identified decades later as guitarist for band The O’Jays
''Little was a member of The O’Jays during the mid-1960s, according to the Twinsburg Police Department.''
Frank "Frankie" Little Jr.(Source: Twinsburg Police Department, CMSD)
''Little also was deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam War as a member of the United States Army. He was last known to reside in Cleveland near the area of East 105th Street and Superior Avenue during the mid-1970s.
Not much information is known about Little’s disappearance and apparent homicide, the Twinsburg Police Department said.''
''Little was a member of The O’Jays during the mid-1960s, according to the Twinsburg Police Department.''
Frank "Frankie" Little Jr.(Source: Twinsburg Police Department, CMSD)
''Little also was deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam War as a member of the United States Army. He was last known to reside in Cleveland near the area of East 105th Street and Superior Avenue during the mid-1970s.
Not much information is known about Little’s disappearance and apparent homicide, the Twinsburg Police Department said.''
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he ended up being a Little.
. Before the link disappears forever - Little was one of several surnames that came out of initial genealogical research
MaryG12
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Wow. I'm an O'Jays fan so this hits home personally.
Some of Frank's songwriting credits:
Frankie Little
RIP
I really hope LE finds out who murdered him soon.
Some of Frank's songwriting credits:
Frankie Little
RIP
I really hope LE finds out who murdered him soon.
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Rest in peace, Frankie Little.
Beautiful soul - music and human. Beautiful, talented person. I wonder what happened to you that you had to meet such a gruesome end. You deserved better.
At least you are home now.
I hope you sing in heaven with the angels.
At least you are home now.
I hope you sing in heaven with the angels.
Mysterious 40-Year-Old Remains ID'd as Member of Soul Outfit the O'Jays
Frankie was a guitarist and songwriter in the very early O’Jays,” the band said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time. That was in the mid 1960s and we had not heard from him after then. Although this sounds like a tragic ending, we wish his family and friends closure to what appears to be a very sad story.”
Frankie was a guitarist and songwriter in the very early O’Jays,” the band said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time. That was in the mid 1960s and we had not heard from him after then. Although this sounds like a tragic ending, we wish his family and friends closure to what appears to be a very sad story.”
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Just saw this in the news today, I'm so glad he's been identified. I wonder what happened?
Reading that he returned to Cleveland because he was in love with a woman makes one wonder if it was a jealous ex boyfriend, etc. I wonder if any of Frankie's old friends recall anything about what might have happened in the late 1970's.
Reading that he returned to Cleveland because he was in love with a woman makes one wonder if it was a jealous ex boyfriend, etc. I wonder if any of Frankie's old friends recall anything about what might have happened in the late 1970's.
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What am I missing? He grew up in the area, moved to CA with the band but soon returned to OH following his heart. Then he goes stone-cold silent for decades and nobody ever came forward asking if the county had any unidentified bodies that might be my son, brother, friend?
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