Summary
In October 2020, the remains belonging to an unidentified individual were discovered in Tucker, Georgia. Tucker is a city located just northeast of Atlanta. A lawn maintenance crew discovered the remains right behind a business parking lot near a tree line. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. It was determined that the remains were that of a black male who was 5’10” tall and weighed 113 pounds. The man was between the ages of 18 and 39 years old. At the time of the man’s discovery, he was wearing a clear stud earring. 
Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP101168. To help visualize the man's appearance during his life, an artist rendering was created and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads about the man’s identity. Despite the exhaustive efforts of law enforcement, the man’s identity has remained a mystery.
In 2024, the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in the Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Once the profile was successfully built, Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team produced new investigative leads that were provided to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. A reference sample was collected from a potential relative and compared to the DNA profile of the man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be 18-year-old Josiah Campbell, who was missing from Snellville, Georgia. Campbell was last seen on September 25th, 2020, when he left his home to go to a recording studio. Campbell would be 22 years old today.
The identification of Josiah Campbell represents the 18th case in the State of Georgia where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in DeKalb County, Kenneth Perry was identified as the suspect in the 1990 double homicide of siblings John and Pamela Sumpter.
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.