Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Othram Partner to Identify 2014 Middlesex County John Doe

Summary

In November 2014, the body of a deceased male was discovered in Cromwell, Connecticut. Kayakers found the unidentified male’s body floating in the Connecticut River. Investigators with the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office believe that the man was African American and between the ages of 21 and 35. It was estimated that the man had died with weeks of being discovered. The unidentified man was 5’10” tall and weighed approximately 200 pounds at the time of his death. He had black hair, a black mustache, and beard. Two distinctive scars were present on the man's body, including a 1-to-1.5-inch curvilinear scar over the left elbow and a 1-to-1.25-inch hypertrophic scar surrounded by suture scars on the dorsal side of the right hand. At the time of the discovery, the unknown man was wearing white Asics brand sneakers, blue checkered boxer shorts, and blue jeans with white nylon shorts over the jeans. The blue jeans had a black sock attached to the belt loop in what appeared to be a makeshift belt.

In December 2014, the case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as case number UP13320. Despite exhaustive efforts from investigators, the case has gone cold due to lack of leads or clues to his identity.

In 2023, in an ongoing collaboration aimed at solving the backlog of cold cases in the state, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner partnered with Othram to leverage advanced DNA testing to generate new leads in the case. Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner by calling 860-679-3980 and referencing agency case 06-12497 or NamUs ID #UP13320.

A DNASolves fund has been created to raise funds for the casework costs. Anyone can contribute here.