TN TN- Meigs County, John Doe, skeletal remains, August 2025, DNA- Monty Ritter, (60's), 2026.

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Meigs County John Doe (2025) is Identified

Meigs County Sheriffs Office and the Knox County Regional Forensics Center Team with Othram to Identify a 2025 John Doe

dnasolves.com

''In August 2025, officers with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office conducted a welfare check at the residence of Monty Ritter after neighbors reported not seeing him for an extended period of time. Upon arriving at the home, officers discovered skeletal remains.

Although Ritter could not be located and was suspected to be the individual, authorities were unable to make a positive identification based on the condition of the remains. To confirm the identity of the remains, officials with the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Knox County Regional Forensic Center to submit evidence for advanced DNA testing.

The evidence was sent to Othram, headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. Scientists at Othram reviewed the case details and determined that Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® could be used to generate a comprehensive SNP profile from the skeletal remains.

At Othram, scientists reviewed details of the case, determining that advanced DNA testing could help to identify the person. Othram scientists worked to develop a DNA extract from the provided skeletal remains, using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive SNP profile for the person resulting in new investigative leads about the person's identity.

During the course of the investigation, potential relatives of Ritter were identified. Reference DNA samples were collected and compared to the unknown profile using KinSNP® Rapid Relationship Testing.

This testing confirmed that the remains belonged to Monty Ritter, the property owner, who was in his 60s. While investigators had reason to believe the remains could belong to Ritter, the use of advanced DNA testing provided the certainty required to formally confirm his identity'.