(WGTD)---An attempt to identify the remains of a man found along some railroad tracks in Pleasant Prairie a-quarter century ago is still moving forward after all of these years.
A photographer found the decomposed body while out walking. The discovery was made exactly 25 years ago this coming Monday.
Since then, authorities have learned through scientific analysis that the man was roughly 40 to 60 years old and was likely of Asian or Asian-derived descent with some Caucasian lineage also possible.
In 2016, the Michigan State Police Biometrics and Identification Division donated the services of a forensic artist who came up with a facial reconstruction. A determination was made along the way that the teeth the man had been missing--four uppers--were probably lost well before the man died, as the bone in his mouth had healed.
Now, scientists at the Smithsonian Institution are getting into the act, with a free offer to perform an isotopic analysis of one of the man’s teeth, according to a news release from Kenosha County. The analysis could give investigators a clue as to where the man lived during his youth. Comparisons have to do with diet and water.
The news release quotes Kenosha County Medical Examiner Patrice Hall as saying that the process is not an exact science but that it could give investigators some new ideas.
Why bother on John Doe cases that are this old? "My motivation is to give them back their name and to give closure to their family," Hall said in the release. "Because I'm sure that somebody out there is looking for them or wondering what happened to a loved one."
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