Queen Anne’s County John Doe (1997):
Mystery Endures After Fiery Crash Claims Unidentified Man on Route 301
Sudlersville, MD: Nearly three decades after a violent car crash lit up a rural intersection in Queen Anne’s County, the identity of the man who died inside the burning vehicle remains unknown, leaving investigators with more questions than answers in one of the county’s enduring cold cases.
On the morning of Monday, Jan. 13, 1997, Maryland State Police responded to a catastrophic single-vehicle accident at the intersection of Route 301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway) and Route 290 (Dudley Corners Road) near Sudlersville. At approximately 10:26 AM, a northbound car left the roadway, crossed the median, struck an embankment, became airborne, and slammed into a bridge support. The impact triggered an intense fire that quickly engulfed the vehicle.
The sole occupant was burned beyond recognition.
According to police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the remains were so severely charred that authorities were initially unable to determine even the make of the car, let alone the identity of the driver. The cause of death was listed as unknown, as investigators could not determine whether the man died from the impact, the fire, or a possible medical emergency before the crash.
The vehicle was later identified as a 1978 Ford, possibly a Ford Fairmont, bearing Pennsylvania license plate BBS6755. A computer check traced the registration to a business in Philadelphia, but when contacted, the business owner reportedly told police they had no knowledge of the vehicle.
Some sources have suggested the registered owner may have been a man named Julio Deleon-Perez, though authorities have never publicly confirmed whether that individual was the owner or if the registration information was outdated, transferred, or otherwise inaccurate.
The unidentified man, now known as Queen Anne’s County John Doe (1997), was described as male, approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 104 pounds. His race, age, hair color, and eye color could not be determined at the time due to the condition of the remains. His age could be late teens all the way to elderly. Dental records were preserved, but fingerprints and DNA were not available, limiting the tools investigators could use to identify him.
At the time, the crash site was already notorious. The Route 301 and Route 290 intersection had been the scene of numerous serious and fatal accidents, prompting state officials to approve construction of an overpass, a project that was underway when the 1997 crash occurred.
More than a week after the accident, The Star-Democrat reported that the man’s identity remained a mystery, and despite the passage of years, little additional public information has surfaced. The case was eventually entered into NamUs in 2008, likely based on original police documentation, which may explain early discrepancies such as the vehicle being listed simply as “FAR.”
Today, the man who died in that fiery wreck remains unnamed, a stark reminder of how easily someone can vanish without answers. Authorities continue to hope that advances in forensic science or a long-overlooked tip may one day put a name to the victim and provide closure to a story that has lingered unanswered since that winter morning on Route 301.
Contact:
Maryland State Police Maryland – Centreville Barracks at 410-758-1101
(Agency Case Number C-80-00429)
Please Note: This area is sometimes misspelled as Suddlersville, even from some official sources.
*This narrative was created by unsolved.us and posted on their Facebook page on 10 Jan 2026
Original Sources:
The Star-Democrat • Thu, Jan 23, 1997
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov
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