Summary

In February 2025, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found in Lawrenceville, Georgia. A human skull was found by construction workers on Highway 316, near the exit ramp of Duluth Highway (Hwy 120), which leads to Lawrenceville, a northeast Atlanta suburb located in Gwinnett County. Investigators responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. They determined the skull belonged to an adult White man who had a healing fracture behind his left ear.

Despite a thorough investigation, the man could not be identified and details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP138513.

In March 2025, investigators teamed with Othram to leverage identity inference, a process that enables investigators to identify individuals from DNA evidence, even when there is no known reference sample to initially compare against. Officials with the Lawrenceville Police Department and Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office worked together to submit forensic evidence to Othram's laboratory headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

At Othram, scientists reviewed details of the case, determining that advanced DNA testing could help to identify the man. Othram scientists worked to develop a DNA extract from the provided skeletal remains, using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive SNP profile for the man. This SNP profile powered a forensic search led by Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team, resulting in new investigative leads about the man's identity.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Timothy Mitchell Williams.

Timothy Williams, was a 57-year-old resident of nearby Duluth, Georgia. He was reported missing in July 2020 and was listed in NamUs as MP78509. Just days before he was reported missing, he was last seen by his employer at his residence and a family member contacted him via telephone. He was last seen wearing Bermuda shorts and a tank top.

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 30th publicly announced case in the State of Georgia where officials leveraged Othram’s identity inference pipeline. Explore other cases on Othram’s website.