Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office Partners with Othram to Identify a 2022 John Doe

The partial remains of an unidentified man found in Kalama, Washington’s Columbia River have been identified as Barry Michael Rezansoff of Oregon, born March 13, 1967.
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Published February 13 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

In July 2022, the partial remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Kalama, Washington. Kalama is located in Cowlitz County, Washington and is only a short drive away from the Oregon state line. The partial skeletal remains were found on the beach of the Columbia River near the 300 block of Tidewater Drive. It was determined that the remains were that of a male. No other information could be determined about the individual.

Details of the cases were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP95242. The Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office listed details of the case on their website, referring to the case as “Kalama Tide Water Skeletal Remains”.

In October 2022, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office once again partnered with Othram in hopes that advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help to identify the man. Skeletal remains were sent to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists developed a suitable DNA extract from the forensic evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile. The profile was used by Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team to produce investigative leads, which were returned to law enforcement.

Using these leads, a potential identity of the man was determined. In a follow-up investigation, investigators used dental records to identify the man as Barry Michael Rezansoff of the Portland, Oregon area. Barry was born March 13, 1967 in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Barry was reported missing in January 2022 following an undiagnosed illness and the May 2020 death of his wife. While Barry’s partial remains were located in Columbia County, Oregon in June 2022, the remains found in July 2022 in the Columbia River of Kalama, Washington were also determined to belong to Barry.

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Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381
media@othram.com

Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.

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About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at ... Read morerecovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. With dnasolves.com anyone can make a difference and help solve the next cold case.