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Forensic science has toolkit for identifying the unknown dead

First they look at fingerprints. After that, dental records. If those efforts fail, DNA testing is the next avenue. Advances in science and technology have brought many advances, but still, some cases might never be solved. Sacramento County Sheriff's investigators are seeking the identity of remains found by a fisherman in the Mokelumne River on Saturday.
Forensic pathologists have many avenues to discover the identites of found bodies. Drawings like this one, of a woman found south of Pocket Road in 1981, are normally a last resort in cold cases. Image courtesy Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

When an unidentified body, such as the one found Saturday in the Mokelumne River, is found, the normal steps to discovering who the person was include fingerprints, dental records and DNA.

Fingerprints are probably the easiest form of identification, because most adults have finger prints on record – but in some cases, especially with children, no finger prints are available for comparison.

If decomposition is advanced, fingers are missing, or if the prints don’t provide a match, the next step is dental records. However, this is only feasible if investigators think they know who the dead person was, as in the case of Aly Yeoman, a Yuba College student found dead in the Feather River last year.

DNA is next, and is more feasible if investigators think they know who the dead person was. There are DNA databases, but they are far from comprehensive. DNA testing is expensive and usually takes a few months to come back from the lab, unlike in television detective shows.

When investigators don’t have any idea who the person is, they can work up a profile of age, gender and possibly other demographic information, and based on when they think the person died, search for missing person’s cases matching the description. Then if they get hits they can match DNA from the body to samples provided by the missing person’s relatives.

When a body is badly decomposed and/or missing crucial parts, identification can get more difficult – but not impossible.

The state of decomposition can clue investigators to how long ago the person died. Other basic information such as gender and age can also be determined through forensic examination. With these facts in hand, investigators can start looking for people matching the basic demographic who were reported missing around or after the time of death.

If a person matching that description is located, they will test any DNA available against samples given to the agency by blood relatives. Sometimes they get a hit. Other times, it’s not so easy, as evidenced by the many unidentified John and Jane Does listed on the Sacramento Coroner’s website.

The Galt Police Department is still contacted when remains are found matching the description of Tanner Sharp, a man who went missing eight years ago.

There are other, subtler clues in bones, according to Forensic Outreach. Evidence of fractures or illnesses can be part of the puzzle pieces that go into identifying the unknown dead. Knee replacements or breast implants also can contribute to the positive identification of a body.

Another avenue is facial reconstruction, done through drawings or sculptures. Normally this is a last resort when other methods have been exhausted. Facial reconstruction artists often work on cold cases, which sometimes bring closure to families searching for a missing loved one. Sacramento County in 2007 had artist Barbara Anderson make a sketch of a nameless man found dead in an orchard in 1980, according to previous ABC 10 coverage.

Hector Islas had been searching for his missing father, Joaquin Islas Moreno for many years when he finally came across the drawing on a missing person's site in 2016. Subsequent testing proved the man was indeed his father.

Cases like these can languish unsolved for decades. Some might never be solved.

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