Powell County Sheriff's Office & Howard Investigations Team with Othram to Identify a 1997 John Doe

Investigators are working to identify an individual whose remains were discovered in 1997 on Garnet Mountain, north of Drummond, Montana.

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Published September 26 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

In November 1997, a man discovered skeletal remains while spending the weekend at his cabin in the Garnet Mountains, located north of Drummond, Montana. The man filed a report to the Powell County Sheriff’s Office and directed investigators to the location where he had discovered the remains. Unfortunately, no other remains were found in the area.

In August 2013, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP11484. Despite investigators’ work to identify the individual, his identity remains a mystery.

In 2024, the Powell County Sheriff's Office partnered with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing can help identify the individual. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team will perform records research and use genetic genealogy to develop new leads in the case. Anyone with information that could aid in the investigation is encouraged to contact the Powell County Sheriff's Office by calling 406-846-2711 and referencing agency case number 197CR0021342.

The Powell County Sheriff’s Office has contributed a portion of the funds for this case and a DNASolves crowdfund has been established to cover the casework costs. Anyone can contribute here.

Contribute Now Your contributions pay for lab supplies and research tools
Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

832-906-4247
2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381
media@othram.com

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.

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About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at ... Read morerecovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. With dnasolves.com anyone can make a difference and help solve the next cold case.