St. Petersburg Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify a 1975 John Doe

After 50 years, investigators are working to identify the remains of an unidentified man whose barnacled-encrusted skull was found in Pinellas County, Florida.

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Published March 12, 2025 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

In September 1975, a fisherman discovered the partial skull of an unknown individual at the mouth of Little Bayou, south of Coquina Key in Pinellas County, Florida. The skull was encrusted in barnacles. Despite five decades of investigation, the identity of this individual remains unknown and he became known as St. Petersburg John Doe. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP1333.

In 2024, the St. Petersburg Police Department and the District 6 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. Othram scientists will work to develop a suitable DNA extract, which will be used with Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to create a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team will perform records research and use genetic genealogy to develop new leads in the case.

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.

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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.