Saskatchewan Coroners Service and Regina Police Service Team with Othram to Identify 1995 Regina John Doe

A young man killed by a train in 1995 has finally been identified as Michael Kirov
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Published August 12 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

In July 1995, a young man was struck by a train at the railroad crossing at Courtney Street and 13th Avenue in Regina. The young man was described as Caucasian and between 20 to 30 years of age, at the time of his death. He was wearing a black denim button shirt over a white t-shirt with the words "Boca Authentic" on the front. He also wore blue jeans and a pair of Reebok running shoes. The young man did not have identifying documents and the items he was found with did not provide clues to his identity. A search of the young man's fingerprints against local, national, and American databases did not yield an identity either. Finally, investigators were not able to match the young man's description to people that had been missing from the area.

Over the past 26 years, the Coroners Service in conjunction with the Regina Police Service exhausted all avenues to find the identity of this unknown man. In December 2020, investigators reached out to Othram to use advanced DNA testing in hopes of producing new investigative leads that could identify the young man or his family. Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to produce a genealogical profile. The Othram genealogy team determined that the man was part of a Canadian family with part of his ancestry tracing to Sweden. Investigative leads were returned to Coroners Service and the Regina Police Service. Investigators then continued their investigation and confirmed the identity of the young man as 30-year-old Michael Kirov from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

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.