Summary

In March 2024, a traffic stop in Natchez, Mississippi led to a chilling discovery. During the stop, the driver directed officers with the Natchez Police Department to a remote location, just ten feet off the road between Fatherland Road and the turnoff to the First Lutheran Church. There, beneath a layer of fallen leaves, officers found skeletal remains buried in a shallow grave. The remains were largely intact, but the head was missing. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office determined the remains belonged to an adult male, estimated to stand between 5'9" and 6'4" tall. An identification card found nearby suggested the man could have been around seventy years old, but an official identification could not be confirmed.

Despite a lengthy investigation, the man could not be identified and became known as Natchez John Doe. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP124871.

To advance the investigation, in June of 2024, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office teamed with Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a forensic search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man.A reference DNA sample was collected from a possible relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man using Othram's KinSNP® rapid relationship testing. KinSNP® confirmed a close relationship, leading to the man being identified as William Francis Harrington, who was from Kentucky.

Othram's casework costs associated with the advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy completed in this case were contributed by donors through a DNASolves® crowdfund. We are grateful to everyone that helped crowdfund this case and other DNASolves® cases, illustrating the critical role that individuals can play in bringing answers to an investigation.

This is the 38th publicly announced case in the State of Mississippi where officials leveraged Othram’s identity inference pipeline. Explore other cases on Othram’s website.