Summary
In January 1980, the body of an unidentified man was discovered in Sacramento, California. Sacramento is the capital city of California. The man was found sitting on the bleachers of a local softball diamond. He had been shot once in the head. The man had dark brown hair, a goatee, and a mustache. It was estimated that the John Doe was 20-30 years old. He stood 5’8” to 5’10” tall and weighed 147 pounds. At the time of the man’s discovery, he was wearing a blue denim cap with a short bill, a “LeChevron Collection” jacket, a navy blue “Sigallo” sweater with a gray collar, prescription eyeglasses, and royal blue Adidas shoes with bright yellow stripes.
A forensic sketch depicting the man's likeness was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads in the case. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP2410. With few leads to go on, the man’s identity could not be determined for more than forty years. 
In an effort to finally identify the man, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office & Sacramento Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. With funding assistance from the Roads to Justice (RTJ) program, Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Once the process was complete, the profile was delivered to investigators with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office so that a forensic genetic genealogy search could be conducted.
With new leads available as a result of the genetic genealogy research, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the homicide victim as William “Billy” Suttle, originally from Chelsea, Manhattan, New York. Detectives traced his movements to a Burger King located in an old Greyhound bus station at Seventh and L streets. According to earlier reports, fast food employees recalled serving him a drink around 8:00 pm. An investigation into his death continues.
The identification of William “Billy” Suttle represents the 48th case in the State of California where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in Rio Vista, California, Craig William Ott, who was found floating in a river, was identified after 23 years.
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.