A human skull found inside an Amazon box on Chicago’s Near West Side more than a year ago has now been identified by DNA as belonging to a missing man, giving his family a measure of closure after they turned to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Missing Persons Day for help. The identification settles who he was but leaves major questions on the table, since investigators have not located the rest of his remains, and the cause of death is still unknown.
The skull was first discovered in October 2024, when a passerby out walking a dog noticed an open Amazon box sitting on a sidewalk near a sports complex in the 2600 block of West Taylor Street, officials said. The caller reported seeing what appeared to be human remains in the box, and police notified the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Forensic review and the clues a skull can hold
Once the skull arrived at the morgue, forensic specialists began documenting it in detail, measuring its dimensions and scrutinizing its surface for any distinctive traits that might match existing missing person files. Dr. Erin Waxenbaum, a forensic anthropologist at Northwestern University, explained that there are “around 20 to 30 measurements” experts can take from a skull to help build a biological profile. The team also noted a left ear abnormality that, as NBC Chicago reported, could line up with the family’s description of hearing trouble.
How Missing Persons Day helped lead to an ID
The breakthrough came after the family attended Missing Persons Day in 2025, an event where they were able to submit photographs, medical and other records, and provide a DNA swab for comparison against unidentified remains. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office told NBC Chicago that final DNA testing by the state lab in November 2025 produced a match to Andre McDaniel, who had been last seen only a few blocks from where the Amazon box was discovered.
Why the county’s outreach matters
Missing Persons Day is designed to give families a single, accessible place to file reports, turn over dental records, and provide DNA samples, tools the medical examiner’s office says have helped identify unknown remains in previous years. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office hosted its sixth such event this spring, and the county notes that the program has brought closure to families at past gatherings. The office also works with NamUs and local law enforcement to support searches and upload information into national databases, per the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office…