Summary

In May 1995, a skeletonized arm and hand belonging to an unidentified man were discovered in the Trinity River near the north end of the Hoopa Airstrip in Humboldt County, California. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. A DNA sample was obtained from the remains and an STR profile was entered into both the California Missing Persons DNA Database and the National Unidentified Persons DNA Index. The STR profile was also compared against profiles from missing persons and other human remains in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). These database searches did not yield a match to a known individual.

Despite a lengthy investigation, the man could not be identified and he became known as Humboldt County John Doe (1995). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP83195.

With funding provided through Representative Jared Huffman’s Community Funding Grant for the clearance of unidentified human remains cases, DNA extracted from the remains was sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas where scientists determined that advanced DNA testing could help to infer the man's identity. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genetic genealogy research and generate new investigative leads in the case, which were provided to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to the man's potential relatives. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the Humboldt County John Doe, who is now known to be Charles Marrs.

In May 1993, 63-year-old Charles Marrs fell into the Trinity River near the Big Rock River Access area in Willow Creek. A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer and HCSO deputies responded to the call. The CHP officer observed Marrs’s body floating past the north end of Clover Flat. The river was searched by boat, roadway, and with the assistance of a Coast Guard helicopter; however, Marrs’ body was never located.

Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves database. Expanding the pool of available DNA data increases the likelihood of successful identifications, helping to reunite families with their missing loved ones and resolve cases that have remained unsolved for years.

This is the 79th publicly announced case in the State of California where officials leveraged Othram’s identity inference pipeline. Explore other cases on Othram’s website.