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. The skull showed a healed fracture to the left nasal bone, indicating that he had a broken nose when he was alive. 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. In 2008, there was speculation that the man may have been a victim of David Conahan, a convicted killer suspected of being a serial killer who murdered men in the area in the 1990's. In August 2024, the FBI released a forensic drawing of what the man may have looked like and said early DNA testing suggested he was a descendant of the Mattaponi Indian Tribe of Virginia. Despite nearly three decades of investigation, the identity of this individual remains unknown and he became known as Sarasota County John Doe. 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 and forensic genetic genealogy analysis could help to finally identify the man. 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.
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.