TN TN- In the woods near 200 block, Overbrook Drive, Knoxville, John Doe, #UP71379, 20 May 2020, DNA- Gerald J. Forsman, of Livonia, MI, born 1959, 2025.

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Tennessee's Knox County John Doe (2020) is Identified

Knox County Regional Forensic Center Teams with Othram to Identify a 2020 John Doe

dnasolves.com

Aug 26, 2025

https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/human-remains-found-in-south-knoxville-identified-after-5-years/?nxsparam=3

''KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Human remains found in Knoxville in 2020 have been identified, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center said Tuesday.

The remains were identified as Gerald J. Forsman, originally from Livonia, Michigan, born in 1959.

The remains were found on May 20, 2020, in the woods near the 200 block of Overbrook Drive, the Knoxville Police Department said. The highly decomposed remains were taken to the forensic center, which determined that they belonged to a man between 55 and 70, although it couldn’t determine the cause of death.

In 2023, a sample of the remains was sent to Othram, a private lab in Texas. In August 2025, after genealogical DNA testing, Othram scientists told the forensic center that they had identified people potentially related to the dead man.''

 

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Aug 26, 2025
The Knox County Regional Forensic Center said this was the eighth cold case it has been able to solve thanks to a 2024 initiative.