Hikers in the Rush Creek Conservation Area of Harvard, Illinois discovered a body near the Rush Creek Trails in May 2019. The McHenry County Conservation Police responded to the scene and discovered the remains of an older white man. He was fully clothed in winter attire including multiple layers, a hat, hand-knitted scarf, and gloves.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office attempted to identify the unknown man using fingerprints, dental records, and CODIS testing, but traditional approaches were unsuccessful in producing any identifying information. The office then coordinated with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Forensic Imaging Unit to complete a digital facial reconstruction with cutting-edge digital technology. They shared his digital photograph in the hopes that someone might recognize him.
In May 2020, the McHenry County Coroner’s Office partnered with Othram to develop new leads in the case. Skeletal evidence was sent to Othram and a DNA profile was built using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing™. Identifying information from the lab was returned to Chief Deputy Coroner, Olivia Zednick, and Olivia and her team continued the investigation, resulting in the positive identification of the unknown man.
Republished courtesy of Othram/DNASolves. Photo credit: Othram/Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office