Othram - General Discussion

[othram]

I’m glad to have known Othram since their beginning of WS, at least. They’re amazing in what they do!

We are glad to know you too! You are the one that created this "Othram - General Discussion" thread... right?

 

[MadMcGoo]

We are glad to know you too! You are the one that created this "Othram - General Discussion" thread... right?

I believe so. My pleasure.

 

[Suglo]

We are getting close on Saginaw John Doe but still need folks to help spread word of the case and help us get to the funding goal. The link is here: Who is Saginaw John Doe (1988)?.

There is a decent chance his parents are still alive and so there is urgency to identify him.

Donated and shared on my FB page. Hope he’s fully funded soon.

 

[othram]

Donated and shared on my FB page. Hope he’s fully funded soon.

Truly grateful.

 

[othram]

New write up for Grace Doe: Grace Doe.

Websleuths Thread: Identified! - MO - McDonald Co., 'Grace Doe' Fem Skeletal 784UFMO, 21-31, Dec'90 - Shawna Beth Garber

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Law enforcement is partnering with the DNA laboratory Othram to identify the baby boy, whose body was discovered by a couple walking near Happy Jack Road and McKinney Drive in Cheyenne on February 28, 1988.

The infant, described as caucasian with brown hair and blue eyes, weighing 6.5 pounds, was wrapped in a blanket.

An autopsy revealed that the child had air in his lungs at the time of his death, indicating that the had been born alive – so the death was ruled a homicide.

Despite pursuing all available leads at the time, including canvassing local hospitals and schools as well as the Air Force base, law enforcement was unable to locate the baby’s parents, and the case went cold.

But new technology could unveil the mystery – with help from the public.

The Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Othram, the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence.

According to their website, scientists at Othram are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA, using only trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials.

But that kind of technology doesn’t come cheap – so a DNASolves fund has been created to cover the costs of testing and research for the case.

The fund is hoping to raise $5,000 to pay for the cutting edge laboratory techniques and computational algorithms to extract the most value from DNA evidence.

If anyone has information that could aid this investigation, they are encouraged to contact Detective Sergeant Curtis Burch at the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office at 307-633-4763. Here is the live link to the DNASolves.com page –Who is Laramie County Baby John Doe (1988)?

Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Reopens Cold Case to Identify Infant From 1988 | Cowboy State Daily

 

[margarita25]

I see @MadMcGoo has already suggested Madisonville Jane Doe, and would like to second this.

WS:
TX - TX - Madison Co., UnkFem UP15905, 2-5, feeding tube, in suitcase, Sep'16

Madisonville Jane Doe

Video at link of feeding tube, map, etc.

By Angeline Hartmann
09-17-2019

At the edge of a pasture off Interstate 45, between Houston and Dallas, a man mowing the property was forced to stop when his machinery suddenly struck something along the fence - a black suitcase. Packed inside was a pink dress with hearts and butterflies that said, “Follow Your Dreams,” a size-4 diaper and the skeletal remains of a little girl with her feeding tube. She was wrapped in white garbage bags.

The little girl, believed to have been between ages 2 and 6, had a medical condition called micrognathia in which her jaw was smaller than normal. This affected her ability to eat on her own, and she would have required medical care during her life. Surely, someone knew the little girl with the feeding tube.

It’s been three years since the grim discovery in Madison County, Texas on Sept. 17, 2016, and still, no one has stepped forward to identify the little girl now known only as “Madisonville Jane Doe.”

“These kinds of cases are the worst kind,” said Madison County Sheriff Travis Neeley. “They're frustrating because you feel helpless. I mean, I cannot bring nobody back to life by no means, but I want to bring some kind of peace, if nothing else.”

The little girl’s 1.2-centimeter feeding tube, which would have been surgically implanted, had the inscription “aa4069f02.” Investigators had hoped her feeding tube would lead them to answers but they say there’s not enough information to trace it.

It’s estimated that the little girl was dead for 3 to 5 months before she was found. Forensic experts believe she was Caucasian or Hispanic and had thick, dark hair. New genealogy research now reveals she also has Native American lineage. Her body had no signs of trauma and a cause of death hasn’t been determined. The manner of her death was ruled a homicide.

To help identify her, our forensic artists at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children created a facial reconstruction using a CT scan of her skull.

Pollen analysis of the remains suggest that she was from the Southwest United States, most likely Southeast Arizona, or an adjacent region of Mexico.

“It’s normal for anyone who has compassion to be bothered by this case. This is a young child,” said Neeley. “They say it’s a horrible thing that happened to her, but they can walk away. Not me, I can’t say that and just walk away. It happened on my watch.”

The sheriff’s “watch” is almost over as he plans to retire from his 20-year law enforcement career. In his nine years as sheriff, he says there’s never been a murder in his rural county. Before he retires, Neeley is determined to finally solve the mystery of the little girl with the feeding tube.

If you have any information about Madisonville Jane Doe, please call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

To learn more about the case, check out the 9/17/2019 episode of this podcast, “Inside Crime with Angeline Hartmann” at http://bit.ly/MadisonvilleJaneDoe.

NCMEC poster Have you seen this child?

Also, our little “Smurfette”:
TX - TX - Houston, MixedRaceFem UP10722, 15-17, 'He Smurfs Me' TShirt, Oct'12 #1

(ETA: Disregard @othram, I see you’re already looking into Smurfette. )

Thanks for all you do!

 

[othram]

Law enforcement is partnering with the DNA laboratory Othram to identify the baby boy, whose body was discovered by a couple walking near Happy Jack Road and McKinney Drive in Cheyenne on February 28, 1988.

The infant, described as caucasian with brown hair and blue eyes, weighing 6.5 pounds, was wrapped in a blanket.

An autopsy revealed that the child had air in his lungs at the time of his death, indicating that the had been born alive – so the death was ruled a homicide.

Despite pursuing all available leads at the time, including canvassing local hospitals and schools as well as the Air Force base, law enforcement was unable to locate the baby’s parents, and the case went cold.

But new technology could unveil the mystery – with help from the public.

The Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Othram, the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence.

According to their website, scientists at Othram are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA, using only trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials.

But that kind of technology doesn’t come cheap – so a DNASolves fund has been created to cover the costs of testing and research for the case.

The fund is hoping to raise $5,000 to pay for the cutting edge laboratory techniques and computational algorithms to extract the most value from DNA evidence.

If anyone has information that could aid this investigation, they are encouraged to contact Detective Sergeant Curtis Burch at the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office at 307-633-4763. Here is the live link to the DNASolves.com page –Who is Laramie County Baby John Doe (1988)?

Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Reopens Cold Case to Identify Infant From 1988 | Cowboy State Daily

You beat us to the announcement! I don't think there is WS thread yet for this case, but we are going to start working on it soon.

 

[dotr]

You beat us to the announcement! I don't think there is WS thread yet for this case, but we are going to start working on it soon.

Started thread..
WY - WY- Baby boy, Caucasian, brown hair, blue eyes, 6.5 lbs, Cheyenne, 28 February, 1988 *Othram*

 

[othram]

I see @MadMcGoo has already suggested Madisonville Jane Doe, and would like to second this.

WS:
TX - TX - Madison Co., UnkFem UP15905, 2-5, feeding tube, in suitcase, Sep'16




Also, our little “Smurfette”:
TX - TX - Houston, MixedRaceFem UP10722, 15-17, 'He Smurfs Me' TShirt, Oct'12 #1

(ETA: Disregard @othram, I see you’re already looking into Smurfette. )

Thanks for all you do!

Thank you for suggesting the cases. They are both on our radar.

 

[Wilma_W]

I don't think anyone has suggested the following Texas case, which has similarities to a Louisiana case:

TX - TX - Harris Co., UnsFem, 20-45, severed head found in bag in Lake Houston, Mar'18

Namus: #UP17854

The LA case:

LA - LA - Severed Head, Brown Hair Belonging To White/hisp Female, 30-50 Yrs Old, 1 March 2018

Namus: #UP50798

In both cases just the head was found.

 

[othram]

I don't think anyone has suggested the following Texas case, which has similarities to a Louisiana case:

TX - TX - Harris Co., UnsFem, 20-45, severed head found in bag in Lake Houston, Mar'18

Namus: #UP17854

The LA case:

LA - LA - Severed Head, Brown Hair Belonging To White/hisp Female, 30-50 Yrs Old, 1 March 2018

Namus: #UP50798

In both cases just the head was found.

Ok thank you for these cases. The first one is local.

 

[othram]

For those that follow the "Solved Mysteries" email newsletter, here is an audio interview with Paul Holes. He talks about the his career, America's Most Wanted, and cold cases!

Fireside Chat: Paul Holes

 

[snowgoose]

I've been wondering if any of the forensic genealogy companies are aware of this Jane Doe (I've been mentally calling her Miami Lakes Jane Doe). FL - FL - Miami Lakes, Wht Fem 25-35 UP6098 found in lake Oct 96

I feel like she would be a great candidate for genetic genealogy. Her DNA is already available, and she was murdered in 1996 so there is a good chance that her loved ones are still alive, and that her killer can be brought to justice. She also has a beautiful facial reconstruction by Samantha Steinberg which could help attract interest/funding to her case.

 

[othram]

New case: Who is Granite County John Doe (2014)?

 

[dotr]

New case: Who is Granite County John Doe (2014)?

More great stuff!
Ws thread..
MT - MT - Phillipsburg, (Granite Co.), WhtMale, UP13962, 23-57, Welcome Creek, 11 August 2014

 

[doggybag2355]

More great stuff!
Ws thread..
MT - MT - Phillipsburg, (Granite Co.), WhtMale, UP13962, 23-57, Welcome Creek, 11 August 2014

Oh wow I JUST added this case to the UID wiki.

 

[doggybag2355]

@othram have you thought about looking into some Virginia cases? Unlike other states, and I could be wrong, but I think most cases are funneled through the Quantico laboratory for the FBI/state, rather than each individual County. I feel that you as a company may have much better luck in getting in contact with the right people there to get permission to work on cases rather than a citizen suggesting genealogy companies.

 

[othram]

@othram have you thought about looking into some Virginia cases? Unlike other states, and I could be wrong, but I think most cases are funneled through the Quantico laboratory for the FBI/state, rather than each individual County. I feel that you as a company may have much better luck in getting in contact with the right people there to get permission to work on cases rather than a citizen suggesting genealogy companies.

Its a good idea. Every state is different, but as you note, some states are more decentralized than others, when it comes to this sort of casework.

 

[doggybag2355]

Its a good idea. Every state is different, but as you note, some states are more decentralized than others, when it comes to this sort of casework.

Yeah, the only company I've seen work with Virginia before is Parabon, their latest ID in Virginia being back last summer. But when I tried to call to suggest this company or the DDP, the secretary, understandably, wouldn't put me through to Quantico's ME, but I could've been reaching out to the wrong person entirely, so who knows.