Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner Teams with Othram to Identify 2024 John Doe

A man, whose remains were discovered in Reno, Nevada, is to be identified using advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy

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Published April 29, 2025 by Dan Miller
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Summary

In October 2024, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found in a mobile home that was sold at auction. During an investigation, it was determined that the man was last seen alive in April 2024 and was known to many people as David Mayhan or Michael Deaver and had used the name Mike Deaver for most of his life. However, further investigation found that this name and the man's social security number were both linked back to a person who died as a baby and authorites suspect identity theft.

Despite investigators' efforts, the man could not be identified, and he was classified as John Doe. The decedent was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP136348.The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office is now seeking to utilize advanced DNA technology in hopes of providing new leads about the man’s identity. Othram’s scientists will extract DNA from the forensic evidence and use Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile suitable for forensic genetic genealogical research. A DNASolves® crowdfunding campaign has been launched to cover the costs of this specialized testing and analysis.

Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office at 775-785-6114 and reference case number: 2024-04458.

Your support can make a difference in identifying this individual. Please consider contributing to the DNASolves® crowdfund to help cover the costs of advanced DNA testing. Additionally, if you have taken a consumer DNA test, you can contribute by opting into forensic genetic genealogy matching to assist in solving this case and others like it.

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Dan Miller

Dan Miller

Director of Customer Service

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

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.

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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.