In June 1990, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found by a fisherman three miles north of Barfield Landing on the west side of the Mississippi River bank. The Mississippi County Sheriff's Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. The remains were determined to belong to a White adult man, who stood about 5'9" tall and was between the ages of 45 and 65. The remains were found with a pair of blue jeans, a black belt and a blue-and-white checkered shirt. Investigators also found a pair of blue Protech brand shoes with rubber soles-size 9 and 1/2.
Despite a lengthy investigation, the man could not be identified and became known as Mississippi County John Doe. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP2849.
In 2025, the Arkansas Attorney General's Office Cold Case Unit and the Mississippi 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 provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.
Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Charles Benjamin Rhoades, born July 9, 1940. Rhoades had been missing for nearly 35 years.
Republished courtesy of DNASolves