35 Years After Man Found Dead, Sculpture Renews Hope to ID Him

Almost 35 years after a man’s remains were found, police are still hoping someone can recognize his face, as reconstructed by a forensic artist.

“This face represents a brother, son, or father who needs to reclaim his identity and be given the dignity that he deserves,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in an Aug. 25 news release announcing that an artist with the state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) had finished a clay facial reconstruction of the unidentified man.

“BCI aids law enforcement and families reunite with loved ones, because everyone is somebody to another,” Yost said. His investigators are familiar with many decades-old cases.

In this most recent investigative effort, authorities believe that the man had lain undiscovered for three to five years before his remains were found on Sept. 10, 1987, near Mount Hope Cemetery in Youngstown.

Steve Irwin was a Yost spokesperson and said that he did not have any details on how the discovery occurred. The cause of death for the man was not known, he added.

The reconstruction was requested by the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office. Youngstown Police are also part of this investigation.

Based on anthropological work, this “John Doe” is believed to be a black male who was 30-44 years old when he died. Although the artist renders him with close-cropped brown hair and eyes, it is possible that these features are not accurate. According to the public bulletin, the BCI Criminal Intelligence Unit published information about this case.

The man’s eye, hair, height and weight are not known.

Attorney General Dave Yost in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 6, 2018. (Justin Merriman/Getty Images)

Although cracking a decades-old case is a long shot, Yost’s office has seen some successes in recent years, his website says.

In early 2019, shortly after Yost took office, investigators said a relative’s DNA was used to identify a trucker suspected in a string of killings dating to the 1990s.

In June 2019, they announced that a relative’s DNA had been used to identify a 23-year-old Louisiana woman whose slaying had been connected to an Ohio death row inmate.

In March 2020, Yost’s office announced that investigators had identified two women who had remained unidentified for more than two decades after they were found deceased in separate instances in Columbus, Ohio.

A news release at the time said the women were Karen Kaye Frank, 52, whose body was discovered in 1999, and Turina Jefferies, 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose body was found in May 1998.

Even though both the women were rendered by forensic artists, it took many years to verify their identities using DNA and fingerprints.

Yost points out that a forensic artist may also take age-progression photos to aid in the search for missing people.

Police or family members who might need help from BCI’s Missing Persons Unit may call 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446).