Do you Know this Man? The Facial Reconstruction of Remains found 22 Years ago
The Stark County Sheriff is now asking for the help of the community – asking if you know who this person might be. This man’s remains were found on property off Trump Avenue in Canton on December 22nd under some brush in 2001. The coroner says the man may have died from a gunshot wound. He was apparently 21 to 44 years of age. But that’s about all they have to go on, except for this reconstruction. (SEE Below for more details from the press release from the Ohio AG’s Office)
Attorney General Dave Yost says this man was loved by somebody and somebody knows him. They want help in figuring out who he is. They ask that you call the sheriff’s office with any information you might have or your local police department. The pictures were released at the Stark County Sheriff’s office this morning. For the audio of the entire press conference today check out the podcast page of Live and Local with Jordan Miller. Live and Local with Jordan Miller Podcast
In a first for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), which created a clay model of the John Doe, a series of photo-realistic digital images also were generated in hopes of increasing the chances that someone will come forward to assist in identification.
The remains were found at 2931 Trump Ave. SE in Canton. They were completely skeletonized and may have been at that location for multiple years.
“I want to commend the Stark County Coroner’s Office, BCI, and the Attorney General’s Office for their collaboration in identifying new information related to this investigation,” added Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier. “We remain committed to pursuing all leads, no matter how much time has passed. We owe it to the victim to bring closure and justice to this case.”
A BCI forensic artist created the clay model at the request of the Stark County Coroner’s Office. BCI’s Criminal Intelligence Unit released a corresponding public bulletin about the case today.
“I would like to thank all of you involved in our continued pursuit to properly identify our deceased,” said Stark County Coroner Dr. Ronald Rusnak. “There are many loved ones that appear to have vanished. Please help us identify this individual so that we may bring closure to those who knew and loved this individual.”
John Doe is believed to have been a Black man between 21 and 44 years old and between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet tall. No clothing was recovered. Additional details such as weight, hair color and eye color are unknown.
After the clay model was completed, BCI worked with experts from The Ohio State University to create digital images of the reconstruction. This digital reconstruction allows unknown features to be approximated, including eye color, skin tone, and the color and style of hair. Additionally, for cases where the precise age is not known, the digital reconstruction can be aged.
