Summary

On February 19, 1991, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Inglewood, California. At approximately 6:30 a.m., the man was found lying inside a trash dumpster in an alley behind an apartment complex. The decedent was a White male estimated to be between 55 and 75 years old, approximately 6 feet tall and 155 pounds.

The man had no identification or personal belongings with him, and although investigators noted several distinguishing physical features, there was no way to identify him at the time. Authorities determined that he died of multiple blunt injuries to the head and his manner of death was ruled as a homicide.

Despite investigative efforts, the man could not be identified and became known as Inglewood John Doe. Years after the man's remains were found, an STR profile was developed and entered into CODIS, but there was no match to a known person. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP3866.

In September 2024, the Inglewood Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. At Othram, scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the John Doe. Upon development of the profile, the FBI's forensic genetic genealogy team conducted a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads about the man's identity.

Law enforcement then conducted a follow-up investigation which lead to potential relatives of the man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Elmer Holmgren. Elmer Holmgren was a lawyer when he vanished more than thirty years ago after moving from Florida to Las Vegas to worked for Sante and Kenneth Kimes, Sr.

Sante and her son became known as "Mommy and Clyde" due to their connection to crimes that spanned the country, including murders committed in Los Angeles and New York City. Investigators traveled to Houston, Texas to notify Holmgren's son of his identification. The investigation into Holmgren's homicide remains open.

Advanced DNA testing conducted at Othram was paid for by 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 (RTI).

Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves® database. Expanding the pool of available DNA data increases the likelihood of successful identifications, helping to reunite families with their missing loved ones and resolve cases that have remained unsolved for years.

This is the 84th publicly announced case in the State of California where officials leveraged Othram's identity inference pipeline. Learn about other cases by visiting Othram.com.