Summary

In March 1989, the decomposed remains of a white male were found in a heavily weeded area behind a bake shop on North Palafox Street in Pensacola, Florida. Law enforcement responded to the scene and discovered the remains of a white male between the ages of 25 and 45 years. The man stood approximately 5’9” tall and had medium-length black hair and a reddish/light brown beard. It was estimated that the man was deceased for two to four months prior to the discovery of his remains. He was found in a thicket between an abandoned building and refrigerator-freezer trailer, and investigators believe he may have been a transient.

The man was wearing a red pull-over shirt, blue jeans, black socks and brown shoes. In the center of his upper chest was a cross with three dots in a semi-circle above it. On his lower chest/upper abdomen was the profile view of a lion laying down with its head up. The man had other tattoos including the words, “Ex-con” near his left calf and an illegible tattoo on the right forearm. Despite exhaustive efforts by investigators, the man could not be identified, and he was classified as John Doe. The decedent was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP103127.

In 2024, the District One Medical Examiner’s Office (D1MEO) teamed with Othram to leverage advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy. The District One Medical Examiner’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram’s scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the remains. Scientists then used Forensic Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team then used the profile in a genealogy search to reveal new leads about the man’s identity.

These leads sparked a follow-up investigation that led to potential relatives of the man. During the course of the investigation, an individual who was believed to be a brother of the man was interviewed about details of the unidentified individual. The man knew about his brother's tattoos, thereby confirming the identity of the man as Charles E. Collier who was born in the late 1940s. An investigation into his death continues and anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at 850-436-9630 and reference case number 89-512387.

Funding for the advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy used in this case was provided by the District One Medical Examiner’s Office, the public through a DNASolves crowdfund and NamUs, a national program that assists the criminal justice community with the investigation and resolution of missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons cases across the United States and its territories. NamUs is funded and administered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and is managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International. We are grateful for the support of RTI, NamUs, and the NIJ.

The identification of Charles Collier marks the 39th case in Florida where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. To read about other cases in Florida, visit DNASolves.