Summary

In August 2021, a property owner in Dolan Springs, Arizona was breaking up a concrete slab in his yard when he found human remains underneath. Several law enforcement agencies responded and began investigating. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, working with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tucson, identified the victim as a White or Hispanic male, over the age of 40, between 5’7” and 5’9” tall. The man was believed to have been buried at the location for at least 10 years and his cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head. The man's death was ruled a homicide.

Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP87897. Despite an extensive investigation, the man could not be identified and he became known as Mohave County John Doe (2021).

In 2022, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the homicide victim. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.

During the investigation, Sheriff's investigators received a tip from a woman indicating she might have information on the identity of the man. Mohave County Sheriff's Office investigators contacted the woman, who reported that her parents had lived on North Drive, the same street as where the man's body was discovered. She recalled that a man by the name of Chett Williams had been living with her parents around 1998-1999 and had suddenly disappeared. When she asked her parents about Chett, they said he had left abruptly, which the woman thought to be odd as all of his personal belongings were left behind. The woman also said that shortly after Chett's disappearance, her parents poured a slab of concrete at the location.

Investigators provided this information to Othram whose genealogist located potential relatives of Chett Williams who lived on the East Coast of the U.S. They were contacted and verified that Williams had gone to Arizona to live with a woman by the name of Bea Hamilton. A family reference sample was obtained from a likely relative and provided to Othram so that it could be compared to the victim using KinSNP Rapid Relationship Testing®. This investigation led the Mohave County Sheriff's Office to identify the 2021 homicide victim as Chester G. Williams III, also known as Chett Williams, born in 1947.

Investigators checked property records and found that the parents of the woman who provided the tip were Bea and Alvin Hamilton, owners of the property where the man was buried and found in 2021. It was also learned that a man identified as Chett G. Williams, had used that address as his residence location. No records of Williams could be found after 1999. Alvin Hamilton died in 2006 and Bea Hamilton died in 2018.

Funding for the advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy used in this case was provided by Project Grace. We are grateful to Project Grace for the financial support in this case and others.

The identification of Chester Williams represents the 13th case in the State of Arizona where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other Arizona cases where your support can help bring long-awaited answers to families.