The Barron County Sheriff’s Department with the assistance of the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and DNA Doe Project have identified decomposed human remains from 1982.
The remains are identified as Kraig King from White Bear Lake, MN. King’s next of kin have been notified.
On Sept. 21, 1982, loggers found a pile of clothes in the woods on private land about 100 yards from the tree line near Highway 25 about 4 miles north of Ridgeland, Barron County. Upon closer inspection, they discovered it was actually badly decomposed human remains. After conducting an autopsy a pathologist reported the deceased was a white male, between 18 and 22 years old, weighing 180 to 195 pounds and was 5’8 to 5’9 tall. The subject had brown hair and a husky build. It is estimated the time of death was April to May 1982 and the manner of death was homicide.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s help as the investigation of King’s homicide continues. Anyone with information on why the victim would have been in Barron County in 1982, or any knowledge of this case should contact the Barron County Sheriff’s Department at 715-537 3106.
Without the assistance of the DNA Doe Project, Barron County John Doe would have never been identified.
The DNA Doe Project is a non-profit volunteer organization formed to identify unidentified deceased persons using forensic genealogy. The DNA Doe Project also wanted to acknowledge the following people/organizations: DNA Solutions, HudsonAlpha Discovery, Justin Loe – Full Genomes Corporation, Dr. Greg Magoon – Aerodyne Research Corporation and GEDmatch.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate and work with the DNA Doe Project on the December 3, 2017, unidentified remains discovered and do not believe they are connected.
Photo: Kraig King from White Bear Lake, MN. Credit: Barron County Sheriff's Department