List of formerly unidentified decedents


In the many unidentified decedent cases in the world, there are several cases where the individual is eventually identified. Most bodies are provisionally identified within a matter of hours, with the formal identification following a few days, weeks, or months later. This list is for those bodies where that initial provisional identification failed. The majority of people in the list are murder victims, although it is not exclusive to them.
ArticleImageYear of
death		Year of
identification		Cause of deathLocationCircumstances
Linda Agostini19341944ManslaughterAustraliaA woman whose burned remains were located in a culvert. She was identified through dental records and her husband admitted to killing her, yet some question the identification based on the difference of physical characteristics.
Lannie Melissa Albritton19862016MurderUSAlbritton, known by the nickname "Lissy," went missing from Chula Vista, California on July 1, 1986. Her body was found two weeks later in a desert area off a dirt road in Lancaster, California, but remained unidentified until May 2016. She had been strangled.
Tammy Alexander19792015MurderUSA girl who ran away from her Florida home who was later killed in Caledonia, New York.
Mary Lynn Andersen19822014MurderUS23-year-old Andersen was last seen in Gillette, Wyoming in 1982. Her body was found in August 1983 outside of the city buried in a shallow grave. She was not identified until July 2014.
"Baby Andrew"19812019MurderUSOn February 28, 1981, the body of a newborn male infant was discovered on the side of a road in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South Dakota. The child is presumed to have been abandoned at the time of his discovery just hours prior and most likely died due to a combination of exposure and blood loss.
The infant was wrapped in a blanket and a bedsheet when he was found, and still had the umbilical cord attached to his body. Few physical statistics existed regarding the victim, such as his race, hair and eye color, which were not recorded.
The baby was buried in a ceremony attended by approximately 50 people after public donations raised sufficient funds for the child to be afforded a dignified burial as opposed to internment inside a pauper's grave. An anonymous woman assisted with organizing the baby's funeral and named him "Andrew." The body was later exhumed for DNA testing in hopes of both identifying the victim and his parents.
It was announced in March 2019 that the parents of the victim had been identified. Theresa Bentaas was charged with the infant's murder following a match through forensic genealogy. Bentaas, who was approximately 20 at the time of the infant's birth, hid her pregnancy and gave birth to the child when alone in her apartment. She would later marry the father of the baby and has two children who are still alive.
"Baby Boy Horry"20082020MurderUSA male infant whose body was discovered on December 4, 2008 in Horry County, South Carolina. The victim's mother was identified via forensic genealogy in 2020 and is awaiting trial.
"Baby Michael"19992020MurderUSThe body of a newborn male infant was discovered on March 3, 1999, near Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina. The child was murdered; having received extensive blunt trauma to his head and much of his body. After the child's death, he was placed inside of a distinctive large garbage bag, which had become undone and was covering only his legs at the time of discovery. His umbilical cord and several pubic hairs—likely from his mother—were still present on his body. DNA from the child's mother was also found. The boy's body had been disposed of by being accidentally dropped or thrown from a passing vehicle. This method of body disposal did not cause the damage to the child, as his wounds were considered to have been too severe and had evidently occurred before death. His mother may have been white or Native American.
The day prior to the boy's discovery, a pregnant female was observed to have acted unusually after she was informed that she was required to take a test at a hospital. Later that night, a pregnant woman and a man were seen in a truck that was parked close to the area where the body was found.
In March 2011, a memorial placed at the location of Baby Michael's discovery was discovered to have been damaged. This desecration may have been caused by one or both of his parents.
In February 2020, breakthrough DNA evidence led to the arrest of Deborah Riddle O’Conner, who confessed to being the boy's mother and was charged with first-degree murder. Genetic genealogy was used to identify the suspect.
Heidi Balch19892013MurderUSThe first victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin.
Shari Lynne Ball19832014MurderUS20-year-old Ball was last seen in Boca Raton, Florida, on June 27, 1983. Her remains were found in Shelby, New York in the October of the same year and were not identified until April 2014.
Donna Gayle BrazzellBetween 1978 and 19802019MurderUSOn November 5, 1980, the partial skeleton of a young white female was found by a hunter in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The victim, aged fifteen to nineteen, was approximately five feet to five feet five inches tall ; her weight could not be estimated. She had received dental care, as some fillings were found in the teeth of the skull. The skeleton of a dog was also found near the Jane Doe, but it is not possible to confirm if it was hers. A local man stated he had shot the dog but did not know of the victim's presence at the scene. A pair of gray cotton or wool socks were the only clothing found at the scene. Shoulder-length brown hair was also found near the body, which was presumed to be the victim's. Her remains may have been at the location from two months to two and a half years and one or both of her hands and arms were never found. Her cause of death has never been determined.
In 2019, the victim's grandmother noticed a similarity between a facial reconstruction by the LSU FACES lab and DNA was compared, resulting in her identification. It was then confirmed that Brazzell had been raped and murdered; two suspects were later charged. One man is already in prison for additional crimes.
Michael Baulch19732010MurderUSA victim of serial killer Dean Corll. His older brother, Billy, had earlier been killed by Corll in 1972.
Bell Gardens John Doe20062011MurderUSA Hispanic man was witnessed to have been attacked by a currently apprehended individual in a parking lot of a grocery store and discovered dead on July 6, 2006. The man was found in Bell Gardens, Los Angeles County, California. He was estimated to be between 62 and 72 years old. He was identified in 2011, but his identity was withheld.
Sonja Blair-Adams19692016MurderUSOn June 1, 1969, a young white woman's body was found near a hiking trail on Pine Mountain, Harlan, Kentucky. She had been dead for several days to several weeks and was decomposed beyond recognition, possibly having been killed at another location before being taken to Pine Mountain. Near her body, fragments of a man's sweater and a ticket stub originating from an Ohio restaurant were found. The victim was between 16 and 22 years old and had been stabbed to death. Because of the condition of her body, it is not known if she had been sexually assaulted. She was later identified as 21-year-old Sonja Blair-Adams of Kentucky. She had never been reported missing.
Bella Bond20152015Presumed murderUSA toddler whose remains were found on the shore of Deer Island, Massachusetts. She remained unidentified for three months and her case received significant media attention.
Lynn Breeden19971997MurderCanadaA woman whose burned body was found in a dumpster. Her unique dental records later confirmed her identity.
Laytwan Brown19982018MurderUSOn May 29, 1998, the skeletonized remains of a black male were found by fishermen in the Coosa River in Gadsden, Etowah County, Alabama. There were multiple bullet wounds to the skull and stab wounds to the sacrum and right hipbone. Evidence of burning was also present. He was aged between 17 and 21 at the time of death. He was identified in 2018 as Laytwan "Twan" Brown.
Marilee Bruszer19782015MurderUSA victim originally thought to have been eleven years younger than she actually was and whose physical characteristics were inaccurately estimated. She was identified through DNA.
William Bundy19762011MurderUSBundy, aged 19, was one of eight still-unidentified victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy at the time of Gacy's 1994 execution. His were the 19th set of remains discovered in the crawl space of Gacy's Norwood Park ranch house in December 1978. Bundy's remains would only be identified via DNA profiling in 2011.
Michelle Busha19802015MurderUSBusha, aged 18, was murdered by a Minnesota state trooper while hitchhiking. Her murder was solved in 1989 but she remained unidentified until 2015.
Darlene Wilson Norcross20152019UndeterminedUSThe remains of a white woman between 35 and 60 were discovered in a wooded area near West Chester, Ohio, on March 7, 2015. The body was skeletonized, making the process of determining weight and eye color impossible. The woman was about 5'6" tall, had graying brown hair and unique and costly dental implants. She also had given birth in the past. She wore a white shirt with red and blue stripes and Faded Glory jeans. Some items were found nearby, including pairs of glasses and a denim bag, but may not have belonged to her.
In 2018 the DNA Doe Project processed her DNA and entered the data into a genealogy database in the hope of identifying potential relatives to the decedent and in 2019 she was identified as 61-year-old Darlene Wilson Norcross.
Jason Callahan19952015Road Traffic incidentUSA man identified after he was reported missing 20 years after his initial disappearance.
Roberto Caraballo20022015MurderUSIn the afternoon of May 8, 2002, the burned body of a white or Hispanic man was discovered in a wooded area of a blueberry field in Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Michigan. The man was killed by blunt force trauma and was then set on fire after being transported to the area. He had extensive dental work, including a partial dental plate, crowns and restorations. However, they had not been performed within a decade before he died. It is believed that he received such care in the southern United States or Mexico. His clothing included a shirt originating from southern California, boxer shorts and a watch. He was to tall and was fairly healthy when he was alive. His remains were found in a footlocker that had been set on fire. A charred cushion, which was placed below the remains, was also found. Because of the size of the footlocker and the absence of disturbance to the surface of the earth, it is believed that more than one person was involved in disposing of the corpse. Because it had rained the morning of the discovery, trace evidence at the scene was no longer available.
In 2015, authorities received tips that "Jack" may have been Caraballo and were able to identify him in April 2015. They also identified the scene of the killing in Charlotte, Michigan. His wife, daughter, and another man were charged with the murder.
Anjelica Castillo19912013MurderUSA four-year-old girl who was murdered by her older cousin. She was never reported missing and was identified after a family member noticed a resemblance between the victim and the forensic sketches.
Carol Cole19802015MurderUSA runaway teenager from Texas. She was later murdered in Louisiana.
Mary Kate Chamizo19992006MurderUSA woman found murdered in Illinois. Some believe her case could be connected to that of Peggy Johnson, who was also murdered in 1999 and went unidentified for two decades.
Cheryl Ann Commesso19892014MurderUSA woman murdered in Florida by a man who is believed to be responsible for the deaths of two other victims, one of whom has never been found.
Audrey Lee Cook19852019MurderUSA suspected victim of the Texas Killing Fields murder spree. Cook was one of two long-term unidentified victims and was never reported missing. She was identified through genetic genealogy testing.
Susan Denise Cook19962014MurderUS32-year-old Cook was last seen in Phoenix, Arizona on December 14, 1996. Her remains were found between 87th Avenue and West Dobbins Road in June 1997. They were identified through DNA in April 2014.
Patrice Corley19902017MurderUSA 29-year-old woman from Louisville, Kentucky who was found dead behind a gas station west of Hebron, Ohio, on Thursday, April 19, 1990. Corley's family reported her missing in October 2016.
Charles "Chuck" Cornell19892016Road traffic incidentUSA white man between 20 and 40 years of age was killed after a tractor trailer collided with his body on Highway 52 in Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas on May 24, 1989. DNA later identified the victim after he was reported missing three decades after he disappeared.
Amber Creek19971998MurderUSA teenager whose body was found in a swamp in Wisconsin. She was identified after her case was broadcast on America's Most Wanted.
Crittenden County John Doe19822016DrowningUSA black man between 30 and 60 years old was found in the Mississippi River on October 28, 1982, in West Memphis, Crittenden County, Arkansas. He may not have been from the area, as he also was found with pamphlets detailing the area as well as a map. He was identified in 2016, but his identity was withheld.
Deanna Criswell19872015MurderUSA teenage runaway from Washington who was killed in Arizona. Her murder was solved before her identification.
Nancy Grace Daniel19762014MurderUS14-year-old Daniel was last seen in Orlando, Florida on September 7, 1976. Her remains were found by hunters near Lake Mann in the same city. Her body remained unidentified until June 2014.
Cynthia Louise Day19902016MurderUSDay went missing from National City, Illinois on August 10, 1990. Her body was found only sixteen days later in a secluded area of Pike County, Missouri, but remained unidentified until July 2016, when a thumbprint revealed her name. Her bones had been boiled after being discovered to preserve them which had led to the destruction of DNA and delayed her identification.
Joseph Decker19672017MurderUSOn October 31, 1967, a white male was shot and left in the hallway of a hotel in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. He was a young man, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was estimated to be between twenty and thirty years of age when he died. He was five feet ten inches tall and weighed 148 pounds. He was wearing a white shirt, white boxers, suede shoes, brown socks and tan pants when his body was found shortly after neighboring hotel guests heard the gunshot and reported the murder to police. The man had a distinct, foot long, scar on his abdomen. He was identified in 2017 and his identity was released to the media in 2018.
Dana Dodd20062019MurderUSDodd, last known to reside in Jacksonville, Florida, was discovered burned beyond recognition in Kilgore, Texas. She was identified 12 years later with the aid of the DNA Doe Project. She was nicknamed "Lavender Doe" before her identification.
John Clifton Downey19842017MurderUSDowney was found dead in an area of brush alongside a dirt trail in Des Moines, Iowa in 1984. Despite having several unusual tattoos on his body, Downey remained unidentified until an upgraded fingerprint system by the FBI in 2017 confirmed his identity.
Diana Jane Elmore19902014MurderUSElmore, 32, disappeared from Lone Grove, Oklahoma on August 5, 1990. Her remains were found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1991, but were not identified until November 2014.
Bina Emery19882015MurderUSBina, 14, disappeared from Detroit, Michigan on February 23, 1988. In July 1988, her body was found in the Detroit River. The cause of death was undetermined. She was identified through DNA in April 2015.
Beverly Lynn England19802015MurderUSEngland went missing from Salida, Colorado, on June 12, 1980. Her remains were found in 1992 and identified in September 2015.
Alexander Fallon19872004King's Cross fire victimUKA Scottish man who was previously nicknamed "Michael" and "Body 115" prior to his identification.
William Fiegener19852019MurderUSOn October 27, 1985, the skeleton of a male between 14 and 21 was found in Springtown, Parker County, Texas. The victim's remains were found on a ranch along State Highway 51. He could have died as early as 1984, as a coin with that date was found at the site. The boy was a white male but may have had black ancestry. Because only some bones were located, his height and weight could not be estimated. His torso, along with one or both hands and limbs, was not recovered. The victim had received dental care, as fillings were found in his teeth. He had short brown hair and wore two gray jackets, one made of fleece and the other of cotton. He also wore jockey underwear and jeans. His exact cause of death is unknown, although his death is considered to be a homicide.
In December 2019, the victim was identified as William Arthur Fiegener, who was actually 22 at the time of his death.
Louise Flesher19812019MurderUSA woman found in 1981 in Lawrence County, Ohio, concealed in a cistern as early as 1979. She was identified through genetic genealogy in 2019.
Darcie Frackenpohl19871987MurderUSA runaway from Washington later killed in California. She was the only victim of Roger Kibbe to be a minor.
Francine Frost19812016MurderUSFrost disappeared from Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 16, 1981. Her remains were found in Muskogee County, Oklahoma two years later, but remained unidentified until August 2016.
"Alfred Jake Fuller"20142018Natural causesUSA middle aged man found expired in his hotel room. He used the alias "Alfred Jake Fuller" when checking in. In 2018 the DNA Doe Project took on his case and identified him. His family requested for his true identity to remain confidential.
Michelle Garvey19822014MurderUSA runaway from Connecticut whose body was found a month after her disappearance in Texas.
Brenda Gerow19812015MurderUSA woman from New Hampshire found in Arizona. She was identified after a photograph in a convicted murderer's possession was identified to be her by her family and was then matched by DNA to her body.
Holly Glynn19872015SuicideUSA woman who jumped to her death from a cliff in Dana Point, California. Her case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries.
Delores Diane Gonzales19742015MurderUSGonzales disappeared from Gulfport, Mississippi, on June 21, 1973. Her remains were found in Choctaw County, Alabama, in 1974. She had been shot twice in the head. The remains were not identified until April 2015.
Sidney Leslie Goodwin19122008Shipwreck
Atlantic OceanAn infant who died on the RMS Titanic. He was previously thought to be one of two other young children who died when the ship sank.
Kerry Graham19782015Presumed murderUSDiscovered alongside the body of her friend, who are believed to have been murdered when they disappeared in 1978. Kerry Graham's body was originally thought to be male before DNA testing proved otherwise.
Perrean Gray20012019MurderUSThe burning body of a black female aged sixteen to thirty, was found in a dumpster in Sacramento, Sacramento County, California on June 29, 2001. The victim was discovered to have been alive at the time the fire was set, as damage in her airways indicated. Her hair color and eye color remained unknown, although they may have been dark in color. She was previously believed to be white, until DNA analysis by the Parabon Nanolabs indicated she was of primarily African descent with some European ancestry. The testing also indicated her hair may have been black and her eyes could have been brown or hazel.
Her teeth were very well cared for. She had no known cavities at the time of death and had many plastic sealants and porcelain caps on her teeth. She presumably had braces at one point and her wisdom teeth were present, two had not emerged. Her body, found wearing only jeans, was wrapped in a comforter and was then set ablaze when disposed of. The killer may have owned an orange Datsun car, which was seen leaving the scene before she was found. She had broken her nose at one point in her life. She was between five feet to five feet six inches tall and at a weight between 90 and 140 pounds. She was between a slender to average build when alive.
In November 2019, the victim was identified as 20-year-old Perrean Gray through forensic genetic genealogy. It is known she was reported missing from San Francisco prior to the discovery of her body.
Erica Green20012005MurderUSA young child murdered in 2001. The brutality of her murder led to national attention. In an effort to identify the girl, police released sketches, computerized likenesses, and at least two busts depicting the victim.
Wayne Griffith19932020MurderUSA white male between 36 and 45 years of age was discovered skeletonized on October 25, 1993. He was murdered by a blow to the head. He had long brown hair, one of his legs was shorter than the other, and he had previous damage to his nose and spine. The clothing he wore read "Road Kill Cafe, You Kill It, We Grill It." In May 2020, he was identified as Wayne Calvin Griffith, who was originally from Ashtabula County, Ohio.
James Haakenson19762017MurderUSHaakenson, aged 16, was one of eight still-unidentified victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy at the time of Gacy's 1994 execution. His were the 24th set of human remains to be discovered in the crawl space of Gacy's Norwood Park ranch house in December 1978, but his body would only be identified via DNA profiling in July 2017.
Randell Harvey19712008MurderUSOne of serial killer Dean Corll's victims.
Frank Haynes19212017Train accidentUSFormerly known as Some Mother's Boy, Haynes died from injuries sustained as he attempted to beat a train across the track in Georgetown, Kentucky. His family knew of the circumstances behind his death a few months after it occurred due to photographs, but had not known that Haynes had remained officially unidentified for over 90 years.
Cynthia May Hernandez19762016MurderUSHernandez disappeared from Glendora, California, on August 26, 1976. A skull was unearthed beside Larry James Allred's cabin in Twin Peaks later that year. Some rib bones were found under the cabin. Both the skull and the ribs were linked by DNA in 2009 and finally identified as Hernandez in December 2014. Allred pled guilty to her murder in September 2016.
Darrell J. Hill19942014MurderUS29-year-old Hill was last seen in Los Angeles, California, on March 6, 1993. His remains were found in a ditch along State Route 16 in Purdy, Washington around Christmas in 1994. They were mistakenly thought to be that of a female, delaying his identification until 2014.
Erika Hill20072015MurderUSA teenager who was abused by her adoptive mother. She was identified after her adoptive sister discovered her case file online.
Tracey Hobson19872019MurderUSA young woman discovered murdered in 1987. After 31 years, she was identified as a resident of the same city in which her remains were discovered.
Marlyse Honeychurchca. 19782019MurderUSOne of four victims found in Bear Brook State Park. She was found with her oldest daughter in 1985; her infant daughter was found in 2000 alongside the unidentified daughter of their suspected murderer. The victims died around November 1978.
Sue Ann Huskey19892020MurderUSA teenager from Sulphur Springs, Texas shot to death in 1989. Her body was discovered in Williamson County, Texas weeks later. Huskey was identified through genetic genealogy.
Andrea Kuiper19902017Vehicle accidentUSA young woman, between the ages of eighteen and thirty, was killed after she stepped into the path of an oncoming vehicle on April 1, 1990, on the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, California. The case was featured on the show Unsolved Mysteries. The victim was identified in May 2017.
Debra Jackson19792019MurderUSA woman aged 15–30, later nicknamed "Orange Socks," was discovered on October 31, 1979 in Georgetown, Texas. The victim had been strangled and sexually assaulted and was found wearing only a pair of orange socks and an abalone ring. Henry Lee Lucas falsely confessed to the victim's murder in 1984, resulting in a death sentence that was eventually overturned. DNA testing in 2019 revealed that multiple men were involved in the victim's murder and also confirmed her identity later in the year. She had not been reported missing.
Peggy Lynn Johnson19992019MurderUSA woman's body was discovered in July 1999 after weeks of apparent torture. Isotope tests would later suggest she was originally native to Alaska, Minnesota or Canada. She was identified in November 2019 as a native of McHenry, Illinois and a suspect was arrested in connection with her murder.
George Robert Johnston20042006SuicideUSA Canadian man who smuggled guns and dealt drugs in California. He committed suicide in a police standoff.
Jon-Niece Jones20022012MurderUSA girl whose burned skeleton was found in 2005. Her mother is believed to be responsible for her death, but died before she could be prosecuted.
Rickie Lee Jones19912008MurderUSA victim of a serial killer. His companion was also a victim and also remained unidentified.
"Julissa"20042017MurderUSThe strangled body of a Hispanic, possibly Dominican, woman was located in New York City on April 27, 2004. The woman was dead less than a day and was between 20 and 30 years old. Because she wore a gold earring with the name "Julissa" engraved into it, some believe that it may have been her first name. The woman was allegedly killed after attending a party with three men during an argument. There were scars on her body, one which appeared to have been the letters "J" and "M". The victim's identity remains withheld. The victim was identified in mid-2017.
Reet Jurvetson19692016MurderUSA Canadian woman killed in Los Angeles, California. She may be a victim of Charles Manson and his followers or an unidentified suspect.
Roger Kelsoca. Fall 19632019MurderUSConstruction workers discovered the skeletonized body of a young male, later nicknamed "Oscar," on April 23, 1985 in Glen Burnie, Anne Arundel County. The body, discovered concealed inside a metal trash bin, was that of a white male aged between 16 and 25 years old who was between five feet eight and five feet eleven inches in height. He likely weighed between 155 and 162 pounds and was of a slim build and had light brown hair. Discovered with the decedent were a comb, keys, nail clippers, coins and three sheets of paper. He wore a wool sweater, which was blue and black, beige slacks and black, laced leather shoes. It was believed he could have been killed up to fifteen years before. One of his hands was not found at the scene.
In 2019, genetic genealogy analysis by the Parabon NanoLabs identified the victim as 19 or 20-year-old Roger Hearne Kelso, who had disappeared from Glen Burnie in the fall of 1963. He was not reported missing by his family, whom he'd told he was "going away."
Marcia King19812018MurderUSFound murdered in Ohio. She was identified through DNA.
Wanda Deann Kirkum19912020MurderUSOriginally identified as a fourteen to twenty-five-year-old female, the body of this woman was discovered on Big Coppitt Key, Monroe County, Florida on February 15, 1991, one day after her murder by strangulation. Authorities also suspected she may have been raped before being murdered. Two things remained remarkable about this case: one, the unique clothing she was likely wearing, and two, the fact that she had been murdered on Valentine's Day, hence the name she was given by investigators as "Valentine Doe". Also remarkable was the lack of any tan lines, indicating she was not from the area, stretch marks on her stomach, cysts present in her Fallopian tubes and ovaries, and two tattoos present on her body, one being a heart on her left arm reading "love" and the other a small cross on the left hand. New DNA technology allowed the unidentified murder victim known as Valentine Doe to be identified as Wanda Deann Kirkum of Hornell, New York; her murderer was also identified as Robert Lynn Bradley, who was murdered in Tarrant County, Texas in April 1992, thus closing out the case.
April Lacy19961998MurderUSA teenager originally thought to be much older when she was discovered. DNA later identified her.
Kori Lamaster19942013MurderUSA teenager reported missing over a decade after she originally disappeared. She was identified through DNA and fingerprints.
Elizabeth Lamotte19852018MurderUSA teenager who disappeared from New Hampshire in 1984. She was found murdered in Tennessee a year later.
"Laundry Lady"19872016Road traffic incidentUSA woman was struck and killed by a vehicle while she walked on Highway 61 on September 9, 1987 in West Memphis, Crittenden County, Arkansas. She was propelled approximately 150 feet and subsequently died. The female was between 45 and 60 years old. The woman earned her nickname for a bag near the body that had various personal hygiene items as well as a box of laundry detergent. The woman carried a business card that was traced to a man whom had stated he had given the woman a ride seven days before in Nashville, Tennessee. He also claimed she had said her first name was "Mary" and was native to Phoenix, Arizona. She was identified in 2016, but her identity remains withheld.
Annie Lehman19712019UndeterminedUSA teenage girl whose remains were discovered in Cave Junction, Oregon on August 1971. She was identified with the assistance of the DNA Doe Project.
Joseph Henry Lovelessca. 19162019MurderUSLoveless is believed to have died in 1916 after escaping from prison. He was accused of murdering his wife. His remains were found in a cave in 1979 and 1991. The DNA Doe Project identified his remains in 2019 via forensic genealogy, noting that it was the oldest identification they had made.
Dana Lowrey20072019MurderUSThe victim, believed to be the first victim of serial killer Shawn Grate, was discovered on March 10, 2007. She remained unidentified for 12 years, until June 2019, when the DNA Doe Project identified her through genetic genealogy.
Wanda Jean Mays19862008Accidental fallUSMays, who disappeared from her relatives' rural home in Guntersville, Alabama, after midnight May 12, 1986, was initially believed to have been either abducted or possibly murdered. Remains found at the foot of a cliff in 2003 were confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2008 to match Mays, and her death was ruled an accidental fall.
Darlene Rene McKenzie19752016MurderUSMcKenzie disappeared from Detroit, Michigan around 1975 when she was 16–17. Her body was found later that year in Farmington Hills, Michigan, but remained unidentified until December 2016.
Kimberly McLean20102016SuicideUSA woman who stole the identity of deceased Becky Sue Turner and later changed her name to "Lori Erica Ruff" in 1988. She committed suicide in 2010 after her marriage failed. She was identified as a woman who had left her Pennsylvania home in 1986 after she turned 18.
Sandra Major19822012MurderUSA woman murdered by serial killer Gary Ridgway in 1982. Her remains were found three years later.
Reyna Marroquin19692000MurderUSAn immigrant from El Salvador who was killed after she informed her lover's wife of his affair. Her remains were not discovered until 1999, thirty years after her murder. The suspect later committed suicide after being questioned about the discovery of the remains in a barrel in his crawl space. Marroquin's body remained unidentified for several months.
Gail Mathews19831985MurderUSA woman murdered by serial killer Gary Ridgway. She was identified after her sister-in-law recalled the victim had previously injured her pelvis when it was announced that the unidentified victim appeared to have had the same injury.
Angel McAllister19992017MurderUSOn October 9, 1999, in Yuma, Yuma County, Arizona the body of a white female aged between 15 and 22 was discovered within hours after her death. She had been shot in the face with a shotgun, which left her unrecognizable. It is possible that she may have been from Mexico and murdered in the United States, according to some evidence.
Cheryl McMillan19682016OverdoseUSOn June 8, 1968, a white female between 20 and 28 was found dead on a picnic table in Griffith Park in Hollywood, California. She was identified in 2016 through visual identification and by the ring she wore, as no identifying information such as dentals, DNA or fingerprints were ever taken.
Sarah McWatersca. 19782019MurderUSOne of four victims found in Bear Brook State Park. Her mother and half sister were discovered in 1985.
Rosemma Mendenhall19902015MurderUSMendenhall was a transient who went missing from Eureka, California in 1990. Her mummified remains were found east of Corning, California in October 1990. Her death was due to stabbing. She was not identified until June 2015.
Cynthia Merkley19912018MurderUSOn April 26, 1991, the body of a woman was found lying face-up in Vacaville, Solano County, California. The victim had died either by strangulation or suffocation. She was twenty-five to thirty-five years old and was approximately five feet five inches tall. She is presumed to be white with Native American characteristics and had long hair that was brownish-blond. Although she was too decomposed to determine eye color, her fingerprints were obtained along with her dental information and DNA. She had fillings and five missing teeth, but three of them had been lost after her death. She was wearing a long-sleeved dress that was dark along with a sweater and a blue tank top, with a wool cap. No other clothing was found, except for a jacket covering the body and her dress had been pulled above her waist, indicating she was sexually assaulted. A ring with a green stone and a watch with a silver-colored face were also worn by the victim. Her body was exhumed in 1998. Along with wearing a large amount of clothing, the victim's legs were not shaved, possibly indicating she was a transient. She was identified in 2018 through fingerprinting.
Nathaniel Terrence Deggs20152019NaturalUSA black man's remains were discovered in a shed in Mill Creek, Washington, on January 11, 2015. His cause of death remains undetermined and there was no indication he was murdered. He was between 50 and 65 at the time of his death and was between 5'9" and 6'1." His weight estimation could not be ascertained. The man's right little finger had been amputated at one point during his life. He was found clothed, wearing a plaid tan-colored button-down Eddie Bauer shirt, a short sleeve turtleneck shirt, tan Banana Republic pants and black wool socks. He also carried a red lighter. The area where the remains were discovered was a known place for transients to reside. It is rumored a man known as Jerry Diggs or Deggs lived near the location the body was found, although there is no evidence they were the same person. In 2018 the man's DNA was submitted to the DNA Doe Project, an organization that uses forensic genealogy to find potential identities for unidentified remains. On September 26, 2019, the DNA Doe Project announced they had identified the man and had a DNA match with his sister. This was a natural death and initially his name was withheld.
Sandra Morden19802019MurderUSOn February 1, 1980, the partially skeletonized remains of a girl between the ages of 13 and 18 were discovered in woodland near Amboy, Clark County, Washington. She is estimated to have died circa 1978, and was the victim of a homicide.
The girl's weight and height could not be estimated because the bones of her torso were never found. One or both of her hands were also not found at the crime scene. Her exact race is not known, but she may have been biracial. After examining her bones, it is believed that the muscles on her neck would have been "well developed."
Soon after a 2016 review of the case, internet users began referring to her case as the "Fly Creek Jane Doe" case.
The victim was identified via genetic genealogy research by the Parabon NanoLabs in October 2019. The victim was last heard from in 1977; it is unknown how long she was alive afterward.
Martha Morrison19742015MurderUSA teenager from Oregon murdered in 1974 after she left an argument with her roommate. Morrison's remains were found in Washington a few months later. Although her murder remains unsolved, she is thought to be a victim of Warren Leslie Forrest, Gary Ridgway or Ted Bundy.
Tina Mott19961996ManslaughterUSA woman killed by her boyfriend while he was intoxicated. Her remains were later identified after initial DNA tests were inconclusive.
Barbara Mullenix20062006MurderUSA woman murdered by her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend. The body was placed in a box and deposited in the Newport Bay.
Leroy Bernard Matthews19972018AccidentUSA black male was electrocuted after coming in contact with the railway tracks in a substation on June 23, 1997 in New York City. He was estimated to have been between twenty and thirty years old.
Lisa Nichols19841985MurderUSA possible hitchhiker who was killed and deposited along a highway. She may be the victim of an unidentified serial killer.
Robert Ivan Nichols20022018SuicideUSNichols committed suicide in Eastlake, Ohio in July 2002. He had been going by the name of Joseph Newton Chandler III since 1978. He stole this identity from a boy who died in a car crash in Texas in 1945. Nichols was identified in 2018, after a CODIS match with his son. He was a World War II veteran; married, had children, divorced, and became estranged from his family; they reported him missing in 1965. He lived in various states afterward, and was a known hermit with eccentric and odd behavior, who rarely engaged with neighbors or coworkers. It's been heavily speculated as to the reason why Nichols stole Chandler's identity, but nothing has yet been proven.
Cengiz Han Nuray19952014MurderUSCengiz, 17, disappeared from Santa Cruz, California on April 27, 1995. Later that year, his badly decomposed body was found in the water off Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove, California. His remains were officially identified by DNA on December 30, 2014.
Bun Chee Nyhuis1987/1988circa 1989MurderUSAn Asian-American woman killed by her husband. She was identified after friends recognized her reconstruction.
Marguerite O'Brien19852015Road traffic incidentUSOn August 3, 1985, a woman was killed when she attempted to cross a highway in Fontana, San Bernardino County, California. The female was between 25 and 35 when she died. She was identified in 2015 as Salem, Massachusetts native Marguerite O'Brien.
Atcel Olmedo20052011MurderUSA toddler believed to have been killed by his abusive stepfather. Since the suspects have since fled the country, they could not be located and tried.
Priciliano Ontiveros19872014MurderUS32-year-old Ontiveros was last seen in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 29, 1987. His skull was found by hikers in the Salt River bottom near 91st Avenue in the same area in 1992. He was not identified until the summer of 2014.
Colleen Orsborn19842011MurderUSA victim of a serial killer. She had previously been excluded as a possible identity for the body, but DNA later disproved this.
Espy Pilgrim19852018MurderUSA woman, believed to be a hitchhiker, found in an abandoned refrigerator along a Kentucky highway. Pilgrim is believed to be a victim of the so-called Redhead murders, which occurred in the Southeastern part of the US in the mid 1980s.
Anita Louise Piteau19682020MurderUSA woman found murdered in Huntington Beach, California, in March 1968 and identified through genealogical DNA research. Her murderer was also identified through genealogical DNA.
Edna Posey19841985MurderUSA woman whose torso was found in a cardboard box. A man was later convicted, but DNA later exonerated him. Investigators still consider her case to be closed.
Barbara Precht20062014DrowningUSA woman who was found drowned under unknown circumstances in a river in 2006. She was identified through fingerprints.
Karen Price1981 1989MurderWalesA runaway who later turned to prostitution. She was found wrapped in a carpet and was nicknamed "Little Miss Nobody" while she remained unidentified. A 3D reconstruction was identified by an employee of the group home that Price once lived in.
Donna Prudhomme19912019MurderUSOne of two longterm unidentified victims of the so-called Texas Killing Fields. She was identified through genetic genealogy testing and was never reported missing. Little is known about Prudhomme's activities preceding her murder.
Pulaski County John Doe19992016MurderUSOn November 6, 1999, the skull of a 30- to 50-year-old Native American or Asian man was discovered in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas. He had been shot in the head. In 2007, the rest of his remains were located, along with some clothing. He had been dead for up to six years before he was found. He was identified in 2016, but his identity remains withheld.
Rapides Parish Jane Doe19982016MurderUSOn April 12, 1998, a woman's body was found in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. She had begun to decompose and was left naked at the scene. It is possible that she was disposed of by a trucker, as the interstate ramp the body was found was often used as an "unofficial truck stop." She had died around one to six weeks before at an age between thirty-five and forty-five. The location of her remains also indicated she could have come from any place in the country, a similar predicament as the Hudson County Jane Doe. Her hair was a dark blond and was worn in a ponytail, bound with a purple ribbon. The victim was between five feet five to five feet eight inches tall at a weight of 110 to 130 pounds. By examining her teeth, it was discovered that she had "unique dental work" and some teeth were missing, which may have occurred after her death or possibly had never developed. The exact cause of her death is unknown, but considered to be homicide.
Lisa Roberts19772020MurderUSA previously unidentified female aged between 15 and 21 who was picked up hitchhiking in August 1977 in Snohomish County, Washington. She was nicknamed "Precious Doe." The man that accepted her request for a ride eventually strangled and shot the victim seven times in the head after she refused to engage in sexual intercourse after the pair had spent the day together. Her decomposed body was discovered five days afterward, on August 14, 1977, in Everett, Washington.
The decedent was determined to be a white female with un-dyed brown, shoulder-length hair. She was five feet ten inches in height and weighed between 150 and 160 pounds. She had a suntan, restorations on her upper front teeth, and appeared to be a smoker, as she had a packet of Marlboro cigarettes in her possession.
In 1979, the man that killed her was convicted of her murder after ballistic testing confirmed that bullets recovered at the scene of her discovery had been fired from his gun. He was released 26 years later.
The DNA Doe Project had initially tried to take on the case through DNA taken from her bones, however, her bones had been boiled sometime in the past and the DNA was to degraded to be used. Margaret Press had stated that another agency might try to extract DNA from rootless hair that had been extracted from the victim. This is the first noted case of a doe being identified through DNA taken from rootless hair strands.
On June 25, 2020, it was announced that she was identified as Lisa Roberts, 17, of Roseburg, Oregon after advanced testing was used to obtain a usable DNA profile for genetic genealogy research.
Christe Rogers19891989MurderUSVictim of suspected serial killer Oba Chandler.
Jo Rogers19891989MurderUSVictim of suspected serial killer Oba Chandler.
Michelle Rogers19891989MurderUSVictim of suspected serial killer Oba Chandler.
Joseph Pace19862017MurderUSIn Ontario, San Bernardino County, California, the body of a Caucasian male was discovered in the bedroom of a vacant house on August 21, 1986. His body was left nude approximately a week before it was discovered. He was between 17 and 22 years old. He was identified in 2017.
Riley Ann Sawyers20072007MurderUSA toddler killed by her abusive mother in 2007. She remained unidentified for several months and was nicknamed "Baby Grace."
Suzanne Sevakis19902014Road traffic incidentUSA woman believed to have been killed in a hit-and-run accident. Some suspect her abductor, who went on to raise and marry her, was responsible for her death. Her son remains missing.
Mary Silvani19822019MurderUSSilvani, 33, was discovered in the Sheep Flats area of Lake Tahoe, Nevada on July 17, 1982. The victim was shot in the head and was sexually assaulted. She was identified through genetic genealogy. Further tests on the rape kit identified her killer as a man who committed suicide in prison after his arrest for unrelated murders.
Stewart Eric Simmons19822014MurderUS20-year-old Simmons was last seen in San Diego, California on June 19, 1982. His skeletal remains were found on October 22 of the same year buried in Archuleta County, Colorado, on the New Mexico border, showing signs of a beating and a gunshot. His body was found alongside the remains of an older woman who was identified after him. Simmons was identified in February 2014 and she was identified in August 2014.
Joseph Norman Spears19732016Traffic accidentUSJoseph was hit and killed by a vehicle in Texas City, Texas, while attempting to cross a freeway. He had run away from a juvenile detention facility in Gulfport, Mississippi on July 30, 1973. His remains were identified in August 2016 through photo identification by his mother.
David Stack19762015MurderUSA man killed while hitchhiking to California. He was identified by DNA after similarities between his dental charts and the unidentified body were discovered.
"Lyle Stevik"20012018SuicideUSA 25-year-old who hanged himself in a hotel in Amanda Park, Washington. He used the alias "Lyle Stevik," believed to be taken from a Joyce Carol Oates novel. He was identified in May 2018, but his family declined to release his name.
Oral Alfred Stuart, Jr.19742012MurderUSFound murdered at a condominium complex near Interstate 605 in Long Beach, California, on November 10. The United States Marine Corps had listed Stuart as AWOL as a result of his disappearance, though this was reversed after his identification. He is believed to be a victim of serial killer Randy Steven Kraft.
Barbara Taylor19671998MurderUSA woman believed to have been murdered by her husband, now deceased. She was nicknamed "Tent Girl" while she remained unidentified.
Teala Patricia Thompson19672016MurderUSThompson's body was discovered in a landfill in Salem Township, Pennsylvania. She had disappeared from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 5, 1967 which was two weeks before the discovery. The remains had been buried in a potter's field and were not identified until August 2016, when exhumation of the body provided enough material to do an identification.
Francine Trimble19782015Presumed murderUSFound alongside her friend, Kerry Graham in 1979.
Tammy Vincent19792007MurderUSA Washington native murdered in California before she was due to testify in court. NCIS cast member Pauley Perrette appeared on America's Most Wanted when the case was detailed.
Marie Vaughnca. 19782019MurderUSOne of four victims found in Bear Brook State Park, alongside her mother and half sister.
Margaret Ann Walden19822014MurderUS39-year-old Walden was last seen in Durango, Colorado, in June 1982. Her skeletal remains were found in Espanola, New Mexico, right on the Colorado border on October 22, 1982, along with the body of a young man. This man remained unidentified as well until February 2014, when he was identified as 20 year old Stewart Eric Simmons who disappeared from San Diego, California, at the same time as Walden. Walden was identified in August 2014.
Regina Walters1990 1991MurderUSVictim of serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades. Her companion was also killed by the same person.
Kelly Ann Ward19862014MurderUSOn February 20, 1997, two maintenance workers of the Swatara Township Sewer Authority discovered the skeleton of a female estimated to be between eighteen and thirty in Swatara Township, Pennsylvania. The site where she was found is about 100 yards from the intersection with Route 441. The remains had likely been there three to five years prior to being found. A facial reconstruction was made, but local police did not make it public for unknown reasons. She was identified as a potential victim of serial killer Joseph Miller in 2014.
Glenn Wilson20082015Presumed murderUSThe body of a white male between 35 and 55 was located on April 5, 2008, in the Sandy River Reservoir in Prince Edward County, Virginia. The man was discovered by fishermen and was already decomposed beyond the point of taking fingerprints. The cause of death could not be determined, yet officials believe he was murdered. He was identified in 2015.
Mark "Duane" Woodard19772016MurderUSOn March 22, 1977, the skeleton of a male between 17 and 25 years old was found in Summerfield, Florida. He was probably white, although he may have been descended from someone from the Caribbean. A possible bullet wound was present on the skull, and a bullet casing was found at the scene. He was identified as Mark "Duane" Woodard in 2016.
Janice Marie Young19732015Road traffic incidentUSA girl pushed in front of a moving vehicle in St. Petersburg, Florida. She had run away after being raped by her adoptive brother. She had used her birth name at the time she died, which had been changed to match that of her adoptive family. Her biological brother searched online to see if she had ever been found and recognized a police sketch and noticed very similar circumstances between the then-unidentified girl and his sister.
Phoenix Netts20202020Suspected murderUKOn 12 May 2020 police investigating reports of a car driving erratically in the Forest of Dean spoke to a man and woman and found two suitcases with the dismembered remains of a woman in their possession.
Hans Pozo20062006MurderChileOn March 27, 2006, the dismembered remains of the decedent were discovered in Puente Alto, a commune of Santiago. Ten days after the first discovery, the man was identified as Hans Pozo, a 21-year-old drug addict. His killer, an owner of an ice cream parlor named Jorge Martínez Arévalo, who committed suicide before he could be arrested, had shot Pozo in the head and subsequently dismembered his remains, scattering them around the city. His motive was to prevent Hans disclosing to his family that he was supposedly his son, but a DNA match after the fact ruled out any relation between the two men.
Stephen Corrigan20102020UnknownRepublic of IrelandOn 9 April 2020 partial skeletal remains were found in a tree-lined common area in the Lissenfield development off the Lower Rathmines Road, Rathmines, Dublin. The remains were finally identified as Stephen Corrigan, a man who had been missing since November 2010.