Ohio law enforcement officials said they have identified skeletal remains discovered 36 years ago in Franklin County using DNA from a relative.
The remains were found on Nov. 3, 1989, on Walcutt Road in western Franklin County by a man searching for aluminum cans the previous afternoon, according to a Nov. 4, 1989, article in the Columbus Dispatch. Detectives found no identification near the remains.
Investigators at the time were unable to determine whether the remains belonged to a man or a woman, or when the person died, according to the 1989 article.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, working with Franklin County Coroner’s Office and the nonprofit Porchlight Project, identified the remains as Ernest Emerson Carter, born in 1923, according to an Oct. 7 statement from the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.
The release did not say where Carter lived, or how or when he died.
“Very little is known about Carter’s life and death,” Yost said in the news release.
In 2000, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office submitted the remains to BCI’s Project LINK, an initiative that compares the DNA from unidentified remains with DNA from people with missing loved ones, according to the news release. No matches came up.
BCI conducted further DNA testing on Carter’s remains, which also generated no leads.
The Porchlight Project funds forensic genealogy for families of missing and murdered people. Last year, the organization funded testing in Carter’s case by Othram, a Texas-based forensics technology company.
Genealogists and BCI built a family tree and found a match with a male relative. His DNA confirmed the remains belonged to Ernest Emerson Carter, according to the news release.
“We believe each person is worthy of dignity and respect,” Franklin County Coroner Nathan Overmire said in the statement. “Our patients can no longer advocate for themselves, so we must on their behalf. I am extremely proud of the compassionate, talented staff who worked on this case from my office, BCI and our community partners. Together, we were able to utilize science to solve a mystery.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost praised the “public-private partnership” that led to the identification of Carter.
“Solving a cold case takes teamwork, technology and tenacity – all of which were on display in this case,” Yost said in his statement. “This type of public-private partnership has a direct impact on so many and brings real results to loved ones.”
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
