Reconstructions of the decedent; sketches of tattoos; decedent's shoe.
Identified...Identified...Identified
Reconstructions of the decedent; sketches of tattoos; decedent's shoe.
Date of Discovery: August 27, 1993
Location of Discovery: Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Estimated Date of Death: Four months prior
State of Remains: Partial skeletal
Cause of Death: Unknown
Estimated Age: 39-60 years old
Race: Unknown, possibly Hispanic, Native American, White or an admixture.
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11" to 6'1"
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Black with black/gray mustache.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Tattoo on left forearm of a dragonfly, bear claw and a face. Slender, medium build.
Dentals: Available. Had four upper front teeth.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: White T shirt (appeared dyed red), grey Jordache jeans, one heavy sock on left foot.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
The decedent's remains were found near the Soo Line railroad tracks on the western side of Pleasant Prairie on August 27th, 1993. His body was discovered by a photographer walking in the area and was found to be in an advanced stage of decomposition, police said. Police and the Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene to investigate. According to a news release from police, initially, an autopsy, forensic anthropology exam, forensic dental exam and reconstruction of the decedent’s tattoo were performed. None of the work completed provided the identity of the victim or any additional leads in the case.
In January 2009, case information was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database. Despite this effort, the identity of the decedent was still undetermined. Police said during a December 2014 meeting, the Kenosha County Medical Examiner's Office and police decided to submit this John Doe’s skull to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification on behalf of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System for a secondary forensic anthropology examination, forensic odontology examination and DNA extraction.
In June of 2016, University of North Texas officials notified the medical examiner that the tests conducted by the forensic anthropologist showed that the 1993 John Doe was a male between approximately 40 and 60 years old and possibly of Hispanic, Native American, or Caucasian ancestry, or possibly a combination of these ancestries. The results of the DNA analysis were then uploaded into CODIS, the FBI’s national database.
Agency Name: Kenosha County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Patrice Hall
Agency Phone Number: 262-653-3869
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 93-07251
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 4762
Former Hot Case Number: 2148
Added: 1/1/2012; Last Updated: 8/13/2022
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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