Summary
In September 2018, a white male went into cardiac arrest while inside of a Wendy’s restaurant that is connected to a Pilot Travel Center on Bouldercrest Road, southeast of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Witnesses rushed to perform CPR as 911 was called. EMS arrived at the scene and transported the man to Atlanta Medical Center where attempts to save his life were unsuccessful. A nurse at the hospital reported the man’s death to the Dekalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, and reported that the man’s name, date of birth, and age were unknown.
Although no identification was found on the man, his physical appearance was easily describable. Investigators measured his height at 6’ 1”, weighed 190 pounds, and is estimated to be between 55 and 75 years of age. A few scars were found on his body; one excoriation directly over his right kneecap, and two around his left kneecap. The man was wearing brown cargo shorts with a black and brown belt along with white and navy sneakers. He also had gray and brown hair as well as a beard and mustache, and an overall presence of body hair with hazel colored eyes.
In October 2019, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP61155. A forensic composite was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads about the man’s identity. Despite investigator’s work to identify the man, his identity remains a mystery.
In 2024, the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office teamed up with Othram to leverage advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy to develop investigative leads in hopes of identifying the man. Previously, the Dekalb County District Attorney's Office teamed with Othram to identify Rebecca Burke. Anyone with information that could aid in the investigation is encouraged to contact the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office at 404-371-2561 and reference case number 18-1411.
A DNASolves crowdfund has been created to raise funds for the casework costs. Anyone can contribute here. We are grateful for your support!
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.