Remains with 'Recognizable Face' Finally Identified as Oldest Son of Family Who 'Dropped Off the Radar' Nearly 50 Years Ago
Nearly 50 years after he went missing, authorities were finally able to determine the identity of a man who died alone hundreds of miles from home.
On Wednesday (March 1), the DNA Doe Project, a group of investigative genetic genealogists, and the Virginia State Police revealed that had figured out a decades-old mystery after being unable to identify a man who died in a traffic accident on March 23, 1977 in Ashland, Virginia.
Previously referred to as Ashland John Doe, he was finally identified as 20-year-old Peter Adams, who had gone missing in Pennsylvania.
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In a news release from the DNA Doe Project, experts noted that Adams was from Illinois but had been reported missing on March 17, 1977.
Six days, a man died after being hit “by a truck on the I-95″ in the early hours of the morning.
“Despite having a recognizable face, he could not be identified,” the release read, noting that all authorities at the time had been able to determine was that he was “a Caucasian man between 20-25 years old.”
At the time of his death, “he wore blue jeans, a western-style shirt, and a jean jacket.”
The DNA Doe Project began working on the case at the behest of the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Early on, they were able to determine that Adams had roots in “Peoria County, Illinois, as well as recent Polish heritage.”
How, team co-leader Eryk Jan Grzeszkowiak described his family tree as “complex.” It required them to reference trees tracing his ancestors back to “Poland, Germany and Switzerland, amongst others.”
One week after taking the case, they found “a husband and wife who both had familial connections to Ashland John Doe’s DNA matches.”
Their oldest of six children “seemed to have dropped off the radar in the 1970s,” and they found “no evidence of him being alive past 1977.”
Additional test on the behalf of the Virginia State Police helped confirm the hypothesis.
Captain Brien Frey of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Richmond Field Office commended the findings that took place nearly 49 years after Adams died. However, he also recognized “the extraordinary investigative efforts” from the ’70s.
“Although an identification was not possible at that time, their diligence, investigative methods, and commitment to this case were commendable and laid the groundwork for the answers we have today,” he said.
In regards to Adams‘ family, Frey made it clear that they still survived today and had “never forgot their brother.”
“The Virginia State Police are honored to have supported the DNA Doe Project in the identification of Peter Adams, nearly five decades after his tragic death,” Virginia State Police reiterated in a statement on Facebook. “We are grateful for the strong partnership between the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the DNA Doe Project, whose collaborative efforts helped bring long-awaited answers and a sense of closure to Mr. Adams’ family.”
They concluded, “This case reflects the power of perseverance, partnership, and advancements in DNA technology to resolve cases and most importantly, to provide long-awaited answers and a measure of peace to families who have carried uncertainty for far too long.”