Skeleton mystery solved after 31 years

The remains were found on a private road by a group of hunters in Pickway County, Ohio in 1991.

Police initially believed they belonged to a young Aboriginal woman, due to the size of the skeleton and the location in which it was found.

With the advancement of analytical and forensic technology, this hypothesis has been refuted. In 2012, after extracting DNA from the bones, researchers at the University of North Texas were able to determine that they belonged to a man who could have ancestors in the Indian subcontinent.

Only now, ten years later, have the police confirmed the identity of the deceased.

It disappeared in the eighties

The hack was in the case announce Monday by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office: The remains have been confirmed to be those of Robert A. Mullins of Columbus, Ohio.

It was said that his family told the investigators that he disappeared around the beginning of the year between 1988 and 1989. He was 21 years old at the time.

Several attempts have been made over the years to find it.

“Robert’s disappearance was a huge source of pain in their lives, especially for his mother, who never stopped searching for her son,” a statement said.

It remains unclear what happened to Mullins, who was found buried not far underground.

During a press conference Tuesday, Ohio’s Attorney General, Dave Yost, confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing. She has a murder investigation case.

– We know, based on the crime scene, that this may have been a murder. Now, the detectives have the information they need to do what they do best, and get out on the streets,” Yost said, according to the report. CNN.

Create a comprehensive family tree

As in a number of other old and unsolved police cases, genetic technology here played a crucial role in determining the identity of the deceased.

The investigators were aided by the company AdvanceDNA, which early this year uploaded a DNA profile to several family databases.

– said Amanda Reno at AdvanceDNA during the press conference We have built an extensive family tree, consisting of more than 4,000 people.

After an extensive investigation, in collaboration with nine people who were supposed to be relatives of Mullins, the company succeeded in coming up with a solid hypothesis about his identity.

Then the hypothesis was confirmed by a validation process.