Summary
In March 1989, the 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.
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 and on the 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 investigators exhaustive efforts, 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. The Medical Examiner’s Office (D1MEO) is now seeking to utilize advanced DNA technology in hopes of providing new leads about the man’s identity.
In 2024, the District One Medical Examiner’s Office (D1MEO) once again teamed with Othram to leverage advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy. In 2023, Othram assisted the D1MEO in the identification of Suzanne Kjellenberg, a homicide victim whose remains were discovered in Holt, Florida in 1994.
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.
The District One Medical Examiner’s Office has contributed a portion of the funds for this case and a DNASolves crowdfund has been created to raise funds for the remaining 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.