In 2003, skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave in CA. The victim's information was entered into NCIC and ViCAP. With few leads to work from, the case went cold.

In 2020, the Mono County Sheriff's Office teamed with Othram to use Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to generate leads. Othram scientists produced a profile and an updated ancestry assessment of the victim. Othram used KinSNP™ testing to confirm a familial relationship identified during the investigation, which led to the discovery that the victim was Isabel Sanchez Bernal.

Read more

In 2006, human skeletal remains were found near a wood pile in Missouri. A forensic facial reconstruction was commissioned, but with few leads to pursue, the case went cold.

In 2021, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, the Lincoln County Coroners' Office, and Southeast Missouri State University coordinated with Othram, where scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a genealogical profile. Othram KinSNP™ rapid familial testing confirmed the relationship of a close relative, which led to confirmation of the identity of the man.

Read more

In April 2020, the body of an unknown man was found in Mississippi. He was found without identification documents and there were few clues to who he might be.

In 2021, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's office and D'Iberville PD teamed with Othram to use Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to help generate new leads that might identify the unknown man or his kin. Once a profile was built, genealogical research produced leads that were then returned to law enforcement, who confirmed the identity of the man as Dean Jeffrey.

Read more

In 2018, skeletal remains from an unknown man were found scattered in a wooded area. Investigators were unable to determine the ancestry of the man, and the case went cold.

In 2021, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation teamed with Othram to use Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to obtain leads. Remains were sent to Othram, DNA was extracted, and a profile was built. Othram geneaologists generated leads from the profile, which investigators used to confirm that the man was David E. Reed.

Read more

In 1992, human remains were discovered in a ditch. An STR profile search, several facial reconstructions, and an earlier attempt to use DNA testing failed to identify the remains.

In 2020, Boone County Sheriff's Office partnered with Othram to use Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive profile. Othram's in-house genealogy team performed a genealogical search and returned investigative leads back to Boone County Sheriff's Office, who were able to confirm the woman was Margaret Ann Sniegowski Jr. from Ohio.

Read more

In April 1981, the remains of a young woman were found in New Lenox, Illinois. An STR profile was created, but failed to identify the woman.

In 2021, the Will County Coroner’s Office sent the remains to Othram's laboratory and Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a DNA profile. Othram's in-house genealogy team built out investigative leads that were returned to investigators, who used these leads to identify the woman as Brenda Sue Black.

Read more

In 1984, skeletal remains were discovered in Idaho. A DNA profile generated from the remains was entered into CODIS, but no results were found.

In 2022, the remains were sent to Othram, where scientists extracted DNA and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a profile for the unknown man. Othram's in-house genealogists returned investigative leads to the Idaho County Sheriff's Office investigators, who used those leads to identify the man as Roger Bennett, who disappeared in early 1982.

Read more

In 1988, the body of a female homicide victim was found on Interstate 59 in Dade County, Georgia. An STR profile was created, but failed to identify the woman.

In 2015, the case was reassigned, and evidence was sent to Othram, where a DNA extraction was performed, followed by Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. After building a genealogical profile, Othram returned the profile to agents from the Atlanta and Baltimore FBI. Additional investigative work confirmed the identity of the body as Stacy Lyn Chahorski.

Read more

In 1982, male human remains were found in the Escatawpa River by divers searching for a missing female toddler. The remains were collected, and his death was ruled a homicide.

His identity remained a mystery for 40 years, until Jackson County investigators, teaming with Othram, used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® and genealogical research to identify a close relative of the man. Due to the degraded quality of the DNA, many attempts were necessary to obtain a useable profile for genealogical search. The unidentified person has now been identified as Gary Simpson.

Read more

In 1960, partially buried remains of a young child later dubbed "Little Miss Nobody" were discovered. A DNA profile that was entered into CODIS produced no hits.

In 2021, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office partnered with Othram to identify the girl. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a profile despite substantial degradation and non-human DNA burden. Using this, Othram genealogists were able to locate a potential biological sibling, which led to the discovery that the girl was Sharon Lee Gallegos.

Read more

In 2001, human remains were found in Nevada. The remains could not be identified during the autopsy, nor through later testing and investigative work. The case went cold.

In 2021, Las Vegas Metropolitan PD teamed with Othram to re-analyze the remains, hoping to generate new leads. A profile was generated with Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®, which Othram genealogists used to identify relatives that could help identify the victim. These leads were returned to LVMPD detectives, who confirmed that the homicide victim was Richard Wayne Guarro.

Read more

In 1995, a murdered woman was found in a ditch with evidence of a gunshot wound. Exhaustive investigations in identifying a suspect in her murder were unsuccessful.

In 2022, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office Detectives teamed with Othram to develop new leads. Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® was used to build a DNA profile, from which Othram genealogists produced a suspect candidate. Kitsap County investigators, working with Nogales PD and Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office, found that the suspect died in 2016.

Read more

In 1980, a skull with evidence of a gunshot wound was found. Many attempts were made to generate leads to an identity, but yielded no clues as to who this man was.

In 2020, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office contacted Othram to attempt to obtain usable DNA from the remains. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop profile. Othram genealogists delivered investigative leads, which eventually revealed the homicide victim to be Ronald David Chambers, a 28-year-old from GA, reported missing by family in 1979.

Read more

In 1988, a hunter found skeletal remains and brought them to a dentist for analysis. In 2009, UNTHSC developed a DNA profile that was searched in CODIS; no hits were found.

In 2021, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office paired with Othram to produce new leads. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a profile. Othram genealogists produced matches that uncovered new leads, which investigators used to confirm the identity of the man as Charles Wane Dodd. An investigation into the details of his death continues.

Read more

In 1990, a skull of a 15-18 year old was found in VA. The cause of death was unknown at the time of discovery. Facial reconstruction and CODIS yielded no results.

In late 2021, Stafford County Detectives teamed up with Othram to generate leads. Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a DNA profile for the unknown man, which Othram genealogists used to perform a genealogical search. This search provided potential names of his father and brother, whose DNA samples confirmed that he was Timothy Alan Mangum.

Read more