Summary

In January 1996, human remains were discovered in North Port, Florida, a city between Sarasota and Fort Myers. On New Year's Day, a dog brought a human skull to its owner, prompting a search that uncovered a nearly complete skeleton without its skull. The remains belonged to a 30-50-year-old male, likely of White or Caucasian descent. Standing approximately 6'1" to 6'2", with a notably muscular build, the man had brown hair and a mustache. Unfortunately, his teeth were in poor condition, lacking any signs of dental work, which further complicated efforts to identify him. Investigators believe the condition of his teeth and the absence of personal items or clothing indicate that the man may have been homeless or transient. The remains were recovered from a remote, heavily wooded area near Plamondon Street.

Despite nearly three decades of investigation, the identity of this individual remains unknown. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) case ID UP60596.

In 2024, the North Port Police Department and the District 12 Medical Examiner's Office teamed with Othram to to determine if advanced DNA testing could help to identify the woman. Othram will conduct DNA extraction and Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a profile that can be used for forensic genetic genealogy analysis.

Individuals interested in assisting the North Port Police Department in bringing resolution to this case can reach out to Sgt. Scott Smith of the North Point PD at 941-429-7300 for more information.

A DNASolves crowdfund has been launched to raise the necessary funds for the cost to of the casework. Additionally, you can also help solving cases like this unidentified person case by contributing your own DNA profile here.