Summary
In March 2001, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered floating in the Minor Slough River on Ryer Island, just north of Rio Vista, California. Rio VIsta is a city which lies southwest of Sacramento and northeast of San Francisco. Investigators responded to the scene where they determined that the remains were that of a white male between the ages of 50 and 60 years old, stood 5’7” tall, and weighed 158 pounds.
At the time of the man’s discovery, investigators found that the man had several tattoos. On the upper-left arm, there was a tattoo of a heart with an arrow through it and a banner, though the name on the banner was indiscernible. The upper-right arm featured a monochrome eagle. On the back, there was a montage of tattoos, including a nude woman seated on a snake, barbed wire, the letters "SS", a castle, a swastika, a male face with a beard and mustache, a skull, and a tombstone with "RIP". The identity of the unknown man, also known as John Doe #3 (2001), continued for nearly a year, but he was ultimately laid to rest without being identified.
In March 2016, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP17594. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the man, no matches were found, and the case went cold due to a lack of investigative leads.
In 2023, the Solano County Coroner’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 forensic evidence, and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genetic genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from the potential relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Craig William Ott of Sacramento, California, born September 2, 1956. Ott disappeared in January of 2001 under unknown circumstances.
The identification of Craig William Ott represents the 47th case in the State of California where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in Ventura County, California, Norman Leon Wyrick was identified after 27 years.
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.