Summary
In October 2021, skeletal remains were discovered by hikers in a remote desert area near Pioneer Drive and Laguna Road in Golden Valley, Arizona. Golden Valley is situated in the Sacramento Valley, approximately ten miles from Kingman, Arizona in Mohave County. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and confirmed that the remains were human. The skeletal remains were transferred to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation. While the biological sex of the individual was determined to be male, due to the condition of the remains, other identifying characteristics such as height, weight, and ethnicity could not be determined. In 2022, details of the unidentified person case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP89640. There were few leads to work from, and despite investigators’ efforts, the man could not be identified.
In March 2023, Detectives with Mohave County Sheriff Office's Special Investigations Unit (SIU), as part of an ongoing collaboration with Othram, requested assistance in identifying the unknown man. Skeletal remains were sent to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists developed a suitable DNA extract from the skeletal remains and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile. Othram’s in-house genealogy team worked with the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) at the Mohave County Sheriff's Office to generate new investigative leads in the case.
A follow-up investigation ultimately led to the identification of the unknown man. He is now identified as 60-year-old Christopher Canning of Golden Valley, Arizona. Canning was reported missing by a family member on May 15, 2021, five months prior to his remains being discovered. Canning’s official cause of death is undetermined; however, foul play is not suspected.
The costs associated with Othram's testing were generously funded by Project Grace, a philanthropic initiative with a goal to help clear backlogs of unsolved cases. Othram is grateful for the funding support for this case and several other Mohave County cases recently worked by Othram including the identifications of Jordan Victor Carvalho and Brandon Ray Parlanti.
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.