Restoring Names to the Nameless through Forensic Science and Investigative Rigor.
Over 10,000 human beings lie in nameless graves across the United States. TheUnidentified.org bridges verified autopsy records, stable isotope geochemistry, and genetic genealogy to bring cold cases out of the archives and into resolution.
"Julie Doe" (1988 Lake County, Florida)
An unidentified transgender homicide victim discovered off CR 471. Groundbreaking case in forensic isotope testing and gender-affirming surgical history, featured on The Fall Line podcast.
Active Cold Case Files & Records
Browse authenticated case files cross-referenced with NamUs numbers, coroner findings, and investigative leads.
Martha Gail Joiner (1972)
Disappeared from Thonotosassa, FL at age 13 while walking her pet raccoon. Subject of extensive forensic evaluations and the Trace Evidence podcast.
"Julie Doe" (Green Swamp 1988)
Unidentified transgender homicide victim recovered in Lake County, FL. Groundbreaking case in stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) and DNA genealogy.
Houston Boat Shed Doe ("Swimsuit Boy")
The final unidentified victim of serial killer Dean Corll. Distinctive Catalina swim trunks, spina bifida occulta, and the persistent 'Bobby French' lead.
Melissa Ann Trumpy (2021)
Disappeared from Green County, WI; vehicle found abandoned across the state line in Stephenson County, IL. Official Wisconsin DOJ clearinghouse priority.
Heather Archer (2016)
Missing from Milwaukee, WI since July 2016. High-priority missing adult case officially indexed by the Wisconsin DOJ Clearinghouse.
Kimberly Ann Funk ("Vancleave Jane Doe")
Found in Jackson County, MS in 1991. Identified in 2021 as Sharon, PA native Kimberly Funk through Carl Koppelman's 3D digital art and Othram IGG.
Francis Wayne Alexander (Gacy Body 5)
Identified in 2021 through the DNA Doe Project and Carl Koppelman's archival research after 45 years as an unnamed victim of John Wayne Gacy.
Tammy Jo Alexander ("Caledonia Jane Doe")
Disappeared from Florida in 1979; recovered in Livingston County, NY. Carl Koppelman's portrait led to her positive identification in 2015.
Kayla May Berg (2009)
Vanished from Antigo, WI at age 15 after an alleged ride to a condemned house in Wausau. Top priority case of the Wisconsin DOJ Clearinghouse.
Alexis S. Patterson (2002)
Disappeared steps from Hi-Mount Community School in Milwaukee at age 7. Subject of nationwide searches and ongoing Wisconsin DOJ Clearinghouse priority.
Sherri Ann Jarvis ("Walker County Jane Doe")
Found along I-45 in Huntsville, TX in 1980. Identified in 2021 as 14-year-old Stillwater, MN native Sherri Ann Jarvis via Othram forensic genomics.
Joseph Augustus Zarelli ("Boy in the Box")
Recovered in Fox Chase, Philadelphia in 1957. Identified in December 2022 through Identifinders International and Philadelphia PD after 65 years.
Dawn Olanick ("Princess Doe")
FBI NCIC Case #1, recovered in Blairstown, NJ in 1982. Identified after 40 years via Astrea Forensics rootless hair sequencing; suspect Arthur Kinlaw charged.
Ruth Marie Terry ("Lady of the Dunes")
Recovered in Provincetown, Cape Cod in 1974. Identified by the FBI in 2022 via whole-genome genealogy after 48 years; husband Guy Muldavin named as perpetrator.
Colleen Ann Burgess ("Valentine Sally")
Found along I-40 / Route 66 in Williams, AZ on Valentine's Day 1982. Identified in 2021 as 17-year-old Colleen Ann Burgess through the DNA Doe Project and Othram.
St. Louis Jane Doe ("Hope")
Unidentified African American child found decapitated in a vacant St. Louis basement in 1983. Isotope analysis maps origin to Southeastern US; active homicide investigation.
Lyle Stevik (Lake Quinault 2001)
Checked into a Washington motel under a Joyce Carol Oates pseudonym. Solved in 2018 via DNA Doe Project in the founding adult genetic genealogy resolution.
Marcia King ("Buckskin Girl")
Found in Troy, OH in 1981 in a handmade leather poncho. Identified in 2018 as 21-year-old Marcia King in the historic first resolution by the DNA Doe Project.
The Bear Brook Murders ("Allenstown Four")
Four victims found in barrels in NH state park. Landmark case solved by Barbara Rae-Venter; unmasked serial killer Terry Rasmussen and identified three victims.
Robin Pelkey ("Eklutna Jane Doe")
Discovered in a shallow grave in Alaska in 1979; confessed victim of Robert Hansen. Identified in 2021 as 19-year-old Robin Pelkey through Othram genomics.
Margaret Fetterolf ("Woodlawn Jane Doe")
Found behind Lorraine Park Cemetery in Baltimore County in 1976. Identified in 2021 via Bode Technology after decades of Carl Koppelman forensic reconstructions.
Evelyn Colon ("Beth Doe")
Found in three suitcases under an I-80 bridge in Carbon County, PA in 1976 with her unborn child. Solved in 2021; suspect Luis Sierra charged with murder.
Jason Callahan ("Grateful Doe")
Killed in a 1995 vehicular crash in Greensville County, VA with Grateful Dead tickets. Solved in 2015 after a viral Reddit & Imgur crowdsourced campaign.
Sharon Gallegos ("Little Miss Nobody")
Four-year-old abducted from New Mexico in 1960; found in Yavapai County, AZ. Identified after 62 years in 2022 by Othram as Arizona's oldest solved child cold case.
Alisha Ann Heinrich ("Delta Dawn")
Eighteen-month-old toddler found in the Escatawpa River in 1982. Identified in 2020 via Othram genomics and Jackson County SO; mother remains missing.
Kelly L. Dye ("El Dorado Jane Doe")
Murdered in an Arkansas motel in 1991 after living under multiple stolen identities. Identified after 31 years in 2022 by the DNA Doe Project.
Barbara Hackmann Taylor ("Tent Girl")
Found wrapped in canvas near Georgetown, KY in 1968. Solved in 1998 by internet pioneer Todd Matthews, sparking the creation of The Doe Network.
Gordon Sanderson ("Septic Tank Sam")
Recovered from a rural septic tank near Tofield, Alberta in 1977 after horrific torture. Identified in 2021 by Othram genomics as Gordon Edwin Sanderson.
Carl Webb ("The Somerton Man")
Discovered on an Adelaide beach in 1948 with a Tamam Shud scrap in his fob pocket. Identified in 2022 via hair root DNA sequencing after 74 years.
Erica Green ("Precious Doe")
Four-year-old child found decapitated in a Kansas City park in 2001. Identified in 2005 through community tipster advocacy; mother and stepfather convicted.
Amore Wiggins ("Opelika Baby Doe")
Severely abused toddler discovered in Opelika, AL in 2012. Identified in 2023 via Othram genomics; father Lamar Vickerstaff charged with capital murder.
Mary Silvani ("Sheep's Flat Doe")
Shot near Lake Tahoe in 1982. Groundbreaking 2019 DNA Doe Project case that simultaneously identified victim Mary Silvani and serial killer James Slice.
Susan Lund ("Ina Jane Doe")
Severed head discovered in Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park in 1993. Identified in 2022 via Astrea Forensics and Redgrave Research as Susan Lund of Tennessee.
Louise Southerns ("Belle in the Well")
Recovered from an Ohio cistern in 1981 bound in rope. Identified after 33 years in 2014 by Todd Matthews as Louise Virginia Peterson Southerns.
Sumter County Does (Balazs & Buckley)
Mystery couple shot along a South Carolina dirt road in 1976. Identified in 2021 through the DNA Doe Project after 45 years of national intrigue.
Tammy Terrell ("Arroyo Grande Doe")
Seventeen-year-old found murdered along a desert road in Henderson, NV in 1980. Identified in 2021 by Henderson Police and Othram genomics after 41 years.
Debra Jackson ("Orange Socks")
Found in an I-35 culvert in 1979; central case in Henry Lee Lucas's false confessions. Identified in 2019 via the DNA Doe Project as Debra Louise Jackson.
Mary K. Schlais (Wisconsin 1984)
Minneapolis woman stabbed and left in a Western Wisconsin snowbank in 1984. Longtime Wisconsin DOJ Clearinghouse priority solved via genetic genealogy in 2024.
Janet Lucas ("Christy Crystal Creek")
Found shot twice in the skull in Montana in 1985; victim of serial killer Wayne Nance. Identified in 2021 by Missoula County and Othram genomics.
Wendy Stephens ("Green River Bones 10")
Discovered in SeaTac, WA in 1984. Unidentified for 37 years until identified in 2020 by King County SO and DNA Doe Project as Gary Ridgway's youngest victim.
Melody Harrison ("Apache Junction Doe")
Discovered in the Sonoran Desert in 1992. Long presumed a runaway; identified in 2023 by Apache Junction PD and DNA Doe Project as 15-year-old Melody Harrison.
Tina Marie Farmer (Redhead Murders)
Found off I-75 in Campbell County, TN in 1985. Solved in 2022 by TBI and Othram; linked posthumously to serial killer and interstate trucker Jerry Leon Johns.
Karen Vergata ("Fire Island Jane Doe")
Dismembered remains found on Fire Island in 1996 and Tobay Beach in 2011. Identified in 2023 by Suffolk County DA & FBI in the Gilgo Beach serial homicide inquiry.
"Peaches" (LISK Jane Doe No. 3)
Torso with peach tattoo found in 1997; biological toddler recovered at Gilgo Beach in 2011. Central unidentified mother in the Long Island Serial Killer investigation.
Cheri Lynn Mahan (1985 Disappearance)
Eight-year-old vanished fifty feet from her driveway after stepping off the school bus in Cabot, PA in 1985. Landmark Pennsylvania State Police clearinghouse investigation.
Ramona Wilson (Highway of Tears 1994)
Sixteen-year-old Gitxsan teenager disappeared along Highway 16 near Smithers, BC in 1994. Found in 1995; landmark Royal Canadian Mounted Police Project E-PANA cold case.
The I-70 Serial Killer Murders (1992)
Six store clerks murdered across Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas along Interstate 70 in spring 1992. Unidentified marksman armed with .22 Intratec / Erma Werke pistol.
Grim Sleeper Unidentified Women
Over thirty women photographed by serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. remain unidentified by the LAPD. Major public appeal to determine survival or unrecorded homicides.
Brenda Gail Black ("Castalian Springs Doe")
Discovered in Sumner County, TN in 1989 along Highway 31E. Identified after 34 years in 2023 by the TBI and Othram; active homicide investigation.
Linda O'Day ("Perry County Jane Doe")
Found down a forested ravine near Sterretts Gap, PA in 1979. Solved in 2024 via Pennsylvania State Police and Othram as 15-year-old Linda O'Day.
The Colonial Parkway Murders (1986–1989)
Eight motorists murdered across four scenic lovers' lane pull-offs along Virginia's Colonial Parkway. Ongoing FBI ViCAP serial killer investigation.
Speed Freak Killers Clandestine Wells
Over 300 bone fragments excavated from Linden, CA cattle wells in 2012; victims of Wesley Shermantine & Loren Herzog. Ongoing unidentified remains inquiry.
Trudy Darby (1991 Missouri Abduction)
Convenience store clerk abducted and murdered in Macks Creek, MO in 1991. Solved via ballistics and multi-state FBI task force; brothers Jesse Rush and Marvin Chaney convicted.
Linda Pagano (Akron 1974 / Solved 2018)
Seventeen-year-old vanished from Akron, OH in 1974; partial remains found in 1975 in Strongsville park. Unidentified for 43 years until resolved in 2018.
Tammy Jo Alexander ("Caledonia Jane Doe")
Shot in a cornfield in Caledonia, NY in 1979. Subject of Carl Koppelman's landmark forensic portrait; identified after 35 years in 2015 via DNA.
Sherri Lee Cook ("Bucks County Doe")
Found along train tracks in Bensalem, PA in 1986. Identified in 2023 after 37 years via Bucks County DA and Othram genomics; active homicide probe.
Connecticut River Valley Killer (1978–1988)
Seven women murdered along the New Hampshire and Vermont border by an unknown serial stabber. Survivor Jane Boroski provided pivotal witness composite.
Roberta Simpson ("Castleton Jane Doe")
Discovered in Castleton, Vermont in 1980. Identified after 43 years in 2023 by the Vermont State Police and Othram; active homicide investigation.
The West Mesa Murders (Albuquerque 2009)
Eleven women and a fetus excavated from Albuquerque's West Mesa in 2009; buried between 2001 and 2005. Ongoing APD serial killer task force.
Texas Killing Fields (Calder Road Murders)
Four women murdered and dumped in a 25-acre League City oil field between 1983 and 1991. Epicenter of the notorious Interstate 45 serial murders.
Gilgo Beach Asian Male (NamUs UP11654)
Discovered along Ocean Parkway in 2011 wearing women's clothing; died of blunt force trauma. Central unidentified victim of the Long Island Serial Killer.
Joyce Rochelle Jackson ("Little Miss X")
Discovered near Grand Canyon Junction in 1958; Coconino County's first Jane Doe. Identified in 2021 after 63 years via DNA Doe Project as Joyce Jackson.
The Doodler Murders (San Francisco 1974–1975)
Serial predator murdered at least five men in San Francisco after sketching them in gay clubs. Active SFPD cold case with $250,000 reward.
Barren County Redhead Doe (Kentucky 1981)
Discarded down an I-65 embankment in Cave City, KY in 1981. Unidentified victim in the infamous multi-state Redhead Murders corridor.
Marguerite Cooper ("Woodlawn Jane Doe")
Found wrapped in bedsheets along Dogwood Road in 1976. For 45 years known as Woodlawn Jane Doe; identified in 2021 as 16-year-old Marguerite Cooper.
Catherine Parker-Hetrick (Chester Co. Doe)
Skeletal remains discovered wrapped in trash bags in Valley Township, PA in 1995. Solved after 27 years in 2022 via PSP and Othram genomics.
Vernon County Jane Doe (1984 Westby, WI)
Discovered off Old Town Road in Westby, WI in 1984 with severed hands. High-priority Wisconsin DOJ cold case exhumed for advanced IGG testing.
Gary Herbst (Barron County John Doe)
Skull unearthed by a pet dog in rural Barron County in 2017. Identified via IGG in 2020 as Navy veteran Gary Herbst; son Austin convicted of homicide.
Walter Karl Kinney (Salmon Creek Doe)
Discovered along the Salmon Creek Greenway Trail in Vancouver, WA in 2022. Identified through DNA Doe Project IGG in late 2023 as Walter Karl Kinney.
Dana Lynn Dodd ("Lavender Doe")
Burned remains found in a Kilgore, TX oil field in 2006 wearing a lavender sweater. Identified in 2019 via IGG; confessed serial killer Joseph Burnette.
Robert Ivan Nichols ("Joseph Newton Chandler")
Living under the stolen identity of a deceased child for decades until his 2002 suicide in Ohio. Solved in 2018 by US Marshals and IGG as Robert Ivan Nichols.
Dorothy Glanton ("New Buffalo Jane Doe")
Remains discovered along an Interstate 94 embankment in 1988. Identified after 35 cold years in 2023 by Berrien County Sheriff and DNA Doe Project.
Maricela Rocha Parga (Ventura County Doe)
Skeletal remains discovered in a Westlake Village culvert in 1980. Identified in May 2023 by Ventura County Sheriff and DNA Doe Project through cross-border IGG.
Joseph Henry Loveless (Buffalo Cave Torso)
Dismembered remains found in burlap sacks in an Idaho cave in 1979 and 1991. Solved in 2019 as 1916 outlaw Joseph Henry Loveless in oldest IGG solve in history.
Denise Hartley ("Bone Lake Jane Doe")
Remains discovered by mushroom hunters near Bone Lake in 1993. Identified in October 2022 by Washington County Sheriff and DNA Doe Project as Denise Hartley.
Irondequoit Jane Doe (Lake Ontario 1988)
Skeletal remains discovered in a shallow grave near Lake Ontario in 1988. Interred for up to thirty years; actively investigated with DNA Doe Project.
Pillar Point Doe (Half Moon Bay 1983)
Discovered on a secluded Half Moon Bay beach in 1983; died of strangulation and blunt force trauma. Subject of advanced genetic genealogy inquiry.
Lincoln County Boxcar Boy (1961)
Teenager found deceased inside a Southern Railway refrigerator ice car in 1961. Featured on Hulu's Naming the Dead; active genomic sequencing.
David Ubank Brown (Lansing Street Doe)
Skeletal remains discovered in a Philadelphia boiler room in 1996. Identified in 2023 by Philadelphia Police and DNA Doe Project as David Ubank Brown.
Eddie Devone (Greenbelt John Doe 1981)
Discovered in a wooded ravine near I-95 in 1981 with gunshot wounds. Solved after 41 years in 2022 by Prince George's County Police and DNA Doe Project.
Box Lady of Benton County (1976)
Bound and handcuffed remains recovered from an irrigation canal crate in 1976. Exhumed in 2017; currently undergoing advanced whole-genome sequencing.
Tempe Girl (2002 Arizona Cold Case)
Unidentified teenager discovered deceased in an alleyway near Arizona State University in 2002. Subject of active investigative genetic genealogy.
Ashland John Doe (Route 1 Homicide 1977)
Remains discovered in a wooded ravine off Route 1 in Hanover County in 1977. Victim of thoracic gunshot wounds; active DNA Doe Project inquiry.
Steven Gooch (Flathead County Doe 2003)
Discovered in remote timberland near Marion, MT in 2003. Identified after 19 years in 2022 by Flathead County Sheriff and DNA Doe Project as Steven Gooch.
Forensic Science, Art & Genomic Retrospectives
Long-form editorial investigations detailing the scientific breakthroughs breaking decades of cold case silence.
Carl Koppelman: Restoring Humanity Through Facial Reconstruction
How an accountant transformed cold-case investigations through tissue-depth calculations, digital painting, and obsessive indexing, solving cases like Tammy Jo Alexander and Francis Wayne Alexander.
Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis: Geochemical Mapping
A scientific examination of oxygen, strontium, and carbon isotope testing in human enamel and how USF anthropologists narrowed a 1988 homicide victim's origin to South Florida.
Missing Boy Ruled Out as Gacy's Victim: The Paradox of Elimination
How Sheriff Thomas Dart's historic DNA push to identify John Wayne Gacy's remaining victims cleared dozens of 1970s cold cases and unexpectedly solved homicides nationwide.
Direct Collaboration with State Missing Persons Clearinghouses
TheUnidentified.org is honored to serve as an authoritative research and database reference for state clearinghouses, including the Wisconsin Department of Justice Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults (missingpersons.doj.wi.gov). We work directly with medical examiners, detectives, and coroner offices across North America.