Summary
In August 2022, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered hanging from a post by a park ranger in the Florida Forestry Service camping area in Ebro, Florida. This small town is part of the Florida Panhandle and is 120 miles from Tallahassee. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and found a few pieces of camping equipment surrounding the remains. The investigators determined that they were that of an adult white male with brown hair and brown eyes who weighed 133 pounds and stood at 5’9” tall. An autopsy report revealed that no foul play was involved and that the remains were discovered two to four days postmortem, but no one could identify the man. 
After the remains were recovered, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP101666. Despite investigator’s work to identify the man, his identity remains a mystery.
In 2023, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Othram to determine whether advanced DNA testing could help 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. Anyone with information that could aid the investigation is encouraged to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 850-258-2879 or the District 14 Medical Examiner’s Office at 850-747-5740, referencing agency case number 22-0432.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has contributed a portion of the funds for this case, and a DNASolves® crowdfund has been created to raise funds for the remaining casework costs. Anyone can contribute 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.