Summary
In February 2020, human skeletal remains were found by a longshoreman at the Weyerhaeuser dock in Longview, Washington. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office and members of the Coroner’s Office searched the area and found a nearly complete skeleton buried in thick blackberry bushes. The skeleton was collected, and the scene was processed. The skeletal remains were sent to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, where a Forensic Odontologist made a dental record for comparison with the National Missing Person’s Database. Anthropological analysis suggested that the skeletal remains belonged to an adult Caucasian or Hispanic male.
The case details were entered and searched against NamUs and NCIC. Neither resource has been able to yield an identity. In 2021, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office partnered with Othram to use advanced DNA testing to establish an identification of, or to find nearest kin to the unidentified man. Anyone with information about this man or the circumstances of his death is encouraged to contact Det. Sgt. Ryan Cruser with the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office at (360) 577-3092. A DNASolves fund has been established to cover the costs of testing for this case and anyone can contribute here. The case has been logged in NamUs as UP67764.
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.
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 recovery, 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.