FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is trying to identify a man who died a terrible death back in the summer of 1964.
The victim's remains were discovered in a ditch off FM 359 near the Jones Creek bridge 60 years ago.
“He was headless, no hands, and no lower legs," Detective Scott Minyard with the FBCSO Cold Case Team told us.
The dark-haired white male was around 50 years old. He was approximately 6 feet tall and weighed about 185 pounds. The victim had a broken rib but no other identifying marks.
Despite an extensive investigation, detectives were never able to identify the man or find his killer or killers. They kept the victim's remains at the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office for two decades with hopes of finding answers. The nameless man was finally buried at San Gabriel Cemetery in Richmond in 1984.
Four decades after the burial, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office exhumed the remains last week, citing advances in forensic biology and forensic DNA analysis.
“I equate it to like opening a time capsule – and then you see what you have – and while they may have done a great job back in the day, they didn’t have the advanced tools we have," Minyard explained. “We can identify him if we get a DNA profile."
Recent strides in genetic genealogy may be the key.
"With the significant advancements in forensic biology and DNA analysis, we hope to uncover new information that was previously unattainable," Sheriff Eric Fagan said. "Our goal is to bring justice to the victim and provide answers to any surviving family members."
The remains were sent to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner’s Office where an anthropological examination will be done. Skeletal samples will then be sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification where DNA analysis will be performed.
If a genealogy profile is successful, the next step would be a forensic genetic genealogy investigation with the goal of locating family members.
Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office at 281-341-4665, option 1 or Detective Minyard at 281-341-4651.
