Pierce County Sheriff's Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1978 Homicide Victim

Summary

In March 1978, the partial skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in a forest in the Pierce County area of Ashford, Washington. Ashford is located south of Tacoma near Mount Rainier. It was determined that the remains were that of a male individual between the ages of 20 and 35 years old, who stood 6 feet tall and had brown hair. Ten years later in 1988, additional remains were discovered approximately 50 yards away from the location of the initial discovery. Despite the proximity, the 1988 remains were not linked to the original 1978 discovery until 2005, through circumstantial evidence and investigative efforts. It was determined that the man, whose remains were discovered over a ten-year-long period had died as a result of homicide. Traditional forensic testing was conducted, but a match to a known individual was not made.

In August 2009, details of Pierce County John Doe's case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP5698. Throughout the course of the investigation, law enforcement learned that the man may have been from Arizona and likely went by the first name "Willie" or "William," but no other identifying information could be determined.

The case was cold for nearly 50 years, when in 2023, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence, and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genetic genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of Pierce County John Doe. Reference DNA samples were collected from the potential relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be William Nelson "Bill" Church, Jr., born November 30th, 1956. Bill Church was last seen on September 15, 1977 by his fiance.

Anyone with information about William, is asked to submit a tip to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office via their Android app or iPhone app. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers by visiting tpcrimestoppers.com or calling 1-800-222-TIPS.

The identification of William Nelson Church, Jr. represents the 34th case in the State of Washington where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other cases in Washington.