In January 2006, a resident of Ruskin, Florida, which is just south of Tampa, found partial human skeletal remains belonging to an unidentified individual in their yard. The remains were brought into the person’s yard by their dog. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. Nearly three years later, in November 2008, the dog led its owner to a dilapidated tent in the woods where more human remains were found. Forensic anthropologists determined the remains found in the tent belonged to the same person whose remains were found in the yard. The individual was determined to be White man, who was 30 to 50 years old, and likely about 6 feet tall.
Despite a years-long investigation, including the development and release of several forensic sketches depicting the man’s likeness, he could not be identified and he became known as Hillsborough County John Doe (2006). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP0052.
In 2024, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas where scientists determined that despite the challenging nature of the evidence, advanced DNA testing could help identify the John Doe. At Othram, scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then worked to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement…