MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Months after DNA results revealed a missing Memphis man has been misidentified and buried in a veterans cemetery, his relatives are still waiting for his death certificate.
Missing man misidentified, buried in veterans cemetery
Dennis Henry Martin vanished several years ago, and last fall, his niece discovered that he had died on September 3, 2019.
Claire Jackson said Martin was found unconscious on an Orange Mound Street, and medical examiners at the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center identified him as the person Martin was living with at the time .
She said the roommate, who is still alive, was an Army Veteran, and her uncle was mistakenly buried at the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Forest Hill Irene Road.
A letter from the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services shows the family’s request to disinter Martin was approved on March 7. However, they can’t get the body exhumed without an official document verifying Martin’s identity.
“The DNA results were shared with us on February 27, 2025, and at that time, I was specifically advised by the chief investigator for the forensic center, Sean Lester, that he would begin working on amending the death certificate,” said Jackson. “He expected to complete that process within a couple of weeks.”…