St. Petersburg Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify a 1992 John Doe

Summary

In July 1992, an unidentified white male was found on a sidewalk in St. Petersburg, Florida at 19th Street and Central Avenue. St. Petersburg is located in Pinellas County on Florida's gulf coast and is part of the Tampa Bay area. The unknown man was transported to Bayfront Medical Center where he was diagnosed with head trauma. Two months later, he was transferred to Gulfport Convalescent Center Nursing Home, where he later died on October 9, 1992. He became known as Pinellas County John Doe.

In July, when the man was initially found, he was wearing a red checkered shirt, a pair of blue pants, and eyeglasses. He also carried a pocket knife. The man was described as having brown eyes, black bushy eyebrows, gray hair, and a mole on the left side of his face as well as on his right temple. Estimated to be between the ages of 40 and 60 years, the man was approximately 6' tall and weighed around 146 pounds. At his time of death and in the thirty-two years since, the man's identity was a mystery.

In July 2008, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP2303. A composite sketch was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads about the man's identity. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the man, no matches were found, and the case went cold due to a lack of viable leads.

In 2022, the St Petersburg Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help to identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used this profile to conduct genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples for a potential relative were collected and compared to the DNA profile for the unknown man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Jack Jones, born February 18, 1932. Jones was last seen by his family in June 1992.

The identification of Jack Jones represents the 31st case in the State of Florida where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in Palm Beach County, homicide victim Joseph W. Newman, whose remains were discovered in February 1984, was identified.