ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office is looking to identify the re-created face of a man whose remains were found more than 40 years ago.
Officials with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office said hunters found the body on the banks of the West Pearl River near Interstate 59 in 1984.
According to LSU forensics investigators, the man is believed to have been between the ages of 18 and 40 when he died.
They said characteristics of both Caucasian and African American DNA were found. They also pointed out a distinctive jawline.
Investigators said the hair and skin colors are an estimate, but some tests provide more specific results.
“We’ve had cases where we’ve used extraordinary means. We’ve used labs to generate not just a DNA profile but a phenotype where it predicts the color of the hair, the color of the eyes, freckles interestingly,” said St. Tammany Parish Coroner Charles Preston.
The skull, which was found at a hospital in 2019, has been sent to a genealogy lab for further testing, with results expected to be available in the next few months.
“It makes a big difference in the family’s lives. One case was about 30-something years old, and it was still as raw to the family as it would’ve been the day after. So, it is great to bring that kind of closure to those families,” said Forensic Death Investigator Chris Knoblauch.
Anyone with information about the potential identity of this person can contact Knoblauch at (985)-781-110 or cknoblauch@stpcoroner.org
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