Summary
On October 12, 1985, a Black male was attacked outside of Dave's Liquor Store located at 650 East Hattie Street in Fort Worth, Texas. Two men approached the man, stealing his wallet and stabbing him in the right side of his chest. Several law enforcement agencies responded, including the Fort Worth Police Department and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office and began investigating the case as a homicide. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries during surgery.
The man did not have any identification in his wallet and could not be identified. Through a Crimestoppers tip, two men were later arrested for the murder, despite authorities not knowing the victim's identity. The two suspects told police that they targeted the victim because he was a stranger in the neighborhood. The man was looking for a place to buy beer and the two men lured him to the side of a building and stabbed him.
Investigators assembled details about the man sharing them with the public along with postmortem photographs, in hopes that he could be identified. Investigators noted that the man was approximately 5' 3" tall, weighed around 160 pounds. He had brown eyes, medium-length curly black hair, a mustache, and a goatee. At the time he was killed, he was wearing blue jeans, blue tennis shoes, a tan leather jacket and glasses.
Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP4490. Texas DPS created a Missing Persons Online Bulletin with details about the man and his death. Despite a lengthy homicide investigation that resulted in the two arrests, the unknown man could not be identified and he became known as Tarrant County John Doe.
In 2024, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the unidentified homicide victim. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Barry Thompson, born on May 3, 1946. He was 39 years old when he was killed.
This is the 25th publicly announced case in the State of Texas where officials leveraged Othram’s identity inference pipeline. Explore other cases on Othram’s website.
Dan Miller
Director of Customer Service
Dan guides law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally through every step of the forensic process—from crime scene to courtroom. He ensures investigators have the support and resources they need to navigate advanced DNA testing and maximize the impact of forensic evidence in their cases.