TX TX - Fort Worth, WhtMale 25-40, 1154UMTX, winged #1 ring, laundry mark-"L.P. Brennan 50118", Oct'87

[dotr]

After 37 years, Tarrant County John Doe (1987) is Identified

Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office Teams with Othram To Identify a 1987 John Doe

dnasolves.com

''In October of 1987, the remains of an unknown individual were found in Fort Worth, Texas, a city in Tarrant County. Prior to his death, the man had been living in a night shelter, using a fake name to obtain food and medical treatment. He was 6'1" and was about 150 pounds. Investigators estimated that the man, who had died five days prior to his body being found, and was between 25 to 40 years old. He was found with a watch and a distinctive ring, but officials could not identify him.

Officials launched an investigation to determine the man's identity, including the release of a sketch of what he looked like while he was alive along with photos of the watch and ring. However, the man could not be identified and in 2008 the details of the man’s unidentified person case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP4087.

In 2024, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office sent forensic evidence to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas in hopes that advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists produced a suitable DNA extract from the remains. A comprehensive DNA profile was then developed for the man using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. Othram's forensic genetic genealogy team then conducted a genealogical search that resulted in new leads, which were provided to law enforcement.

These leads enabled a follow-up investigation, allowing investigators to identify potential relatives of the man and it was determined that the unknown man was identified as Shirlee Lewis Henkel who was born on August 14, 1942. Henkel was a veteran of the U.S. Airforce who was born in Deloit, Iowa. In 1994, his family held a funeral for him with a gravestone in Saint Clair Cemetery in Ute, Iowa.

The name "Shirley" or "Shirlee" was among the top 1,000 names for newborn American boys between 1880 and 1957, although it was more commonly given to girls. As a name for males, its popularity peaked in 1935, less than a decade before Shirlee Henkel was born.

The identification of Shirlee Lewis is the 19th case in Texas where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other Texas cases.

Help fund another caseYour contributions pay for lab supplies and research tools''

 

[summergirl1]

It's interesting he actually was from Iowa, given the laundry mark.

 

[kforbes862]

Great to see this one solved.

 

[MarziPanda]

Also interesting that he was actually in the air force, given there's no indication of why investigators thought he might have been. Curious about the funeral and headstone... maybe his family knew he had moved to another state and assumed he was deceased after not hearing from him for several years, but never reported him missing?

 

[The4TierBridge]

Here is the notice of his declaration of death in absentia from the April 4, 1994 issue of the Denison Bulletin:

 

[The4TierBridge]

This is his 1994 obituary, published April 30 from the same newspaper

 

[summergirl1]

Also interesting that he was actually in the air force, given there's no indication of why investigators thought he might have been. Curious about the funeral and headstone... maybe his family knew he had moved to another state and assumed he was deceased after not hearing from him for several years, but never reported him missing?

Maybe investigators (incorrectly) associated the ring with the air force. Or maybe people who knew him at the shelter had heard him say that. Or maybe both. I wonder why he was using a false name..

 

[MarziPanda]

Maybe investigators (incorrectly) associated the ring with the air force. Or maybe people who knew him at the shelter had heard him say that. Or maybe both. I wonder why he was using a false name..

I wonder if he didn't like his name. Othram notes that Shirlee/Shirley was in the top 1000 boy names when he was born but had peaked in the 30s, so by the 80s it might have been something that got him teased a lot, and in an environment like a shelter, bullying can quickly turn nasty. Or, like many Does we see here, he simply wanted to leave his old life behind.

Strange to me that his date of death provided by his family is so specific. And so wrong, as he'd actually died years earlier. But I suppose to get him declared dead they needed to pick a date, and didn't want to admit in the obituary that they didn't really know where he was or when he'd died. I do wonder if perhaps it could be due to his parents passing, presumably he'd have been in the will and that money would have been in limbo until he was declared dead. No hate for the family, they probably did what they could to find him and leaving that money in limbo forever helps nobody. They may not have even known he was in Texas, his obit mentions they last knew he was working in the Rocky Mountains.

 

[summergirl1]

His parents both died before him, and long before he was declared deceased, so I don't think a will was why he was declared deceased. I would assume he knew about both their deaths, although perhaps not in the case of his father.. Shirlee Lewis Henkel (1942-1994) - Find a Grave...

 

[MarziPanda]

I suppose we have no idea how long he was transient and/or out of contact with his family, the obituary just says he moved to Denver in 1969 and worked at a packing plant, and then later worked for the road construction company in the Rockies. He might have been transient/estranged from the 70s or 80s. I doubt we'll ever know, and still lots of questions for his family. Both Shirlee's brothers have passed away along with one of his nieces. She had the same lovely red hair as her uncle Shirlee.