The Foot that Solved the Puzzle

On July 29, 2016, partially unidentified human remains were found in Slidell, Louisiana.  The cause of death was determined to be a homicide.  A CODIS eligible profile was obtained from a toenail removed from the decedent.  A keyboard search was requested from Louisiana State Police and Mississippi State Police due to the remains being found close to the Louisiana/Mississippi State line.  No matches were returned at the State and National CODIS levels.  During the next five years, our laboratory engaged in elevated DNA testing with Parabon Nanolabs using SNP Phenotyping technology in conjunction with DNA Snapshot® prediction and age progression.  Later, Investigative Genetic Genealogy was attempted with the DNA Doe Project to solve the mystery of this man’s identity.  However, it wasn’t until January 2022 that a CODIS hit to partial remains uploaded by the University of North Texas would unravel the identity of this homicide victim.