Summary
In December 2022, officers from the Palos Heights Police Department were dispatched to a bike path to the east of the Southwest Highway overpass. This overpass is in Palos Heights, which is a southwestern suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Police discovered the partial skeletal remains of an unidentified individual inside a plastic bag that was hanging in the branches of a tree. There was another bag filled with asphalt and rocks also inside of the bag.
At the time of the discovery of the remains, there were no other identifying characteristics that could help further the investigation and identify the person to whom the remains belong. The skeletal remains were collected and submitted to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office for an anthropologist to review.
After the remains were recovered, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP99513. Despite investigators' work to identify the individual, their identity remains a mystery.
In 2024, the Palos Heights Police Department partnered with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing can help identify the individual. Anyone with information that could aid in the investigation is encouraged to contact the Palos Heights Police Department by calling 708-448-5060 and referencing agency case number ME2022-10385.
A DNASolves crowdfund has been established to cover the casework costs. Anyone can contribute here.
Michael Vogen
Director of Case Management
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.