Summary
In May 2004, the body of an unidentified man was found in a grassy area off exit 7, eastbound I-40 in Haywood County, North Carolina.
The unidentified man was described as caucasian, with black hair, brown eyes, and a mustache and goatee. He stood at 6'1 and was 123 lbs at the time of death. He was believed to be between the ages of 25-40 years old at the time of death.
The cause of death is not confirmed. However, during the autopsy the unidentified man was found to have several injuries that were consistent with being hit by a motor vehicle. The estimated time of death was within 24-hours of his discovery and so initially, it was hoped that someone would recognize him. An artist rendering has been released but so far, no one has come forward with information that can identify who the man is.
The North Carolina Unidentified Project has now partnered with Othram with the goal of using advanced forensic technology to identify this man or his family. A DNASolves fund has been created to cover the cost of testing for this case. You can contribute to the cost of testing here: https://dnasolves.com/articles/HaywoodNCUnidentfied_2004/contribute.
Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Haywood County Sheriff's Office at 828-452-6768. Please refer to Namus Case UP6291.
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.