DNA Technology Unlocks Identity of 1982 'Snake River John Doe'

KLEW ^ | Fri, September 13th 2024

[nickcarraway]

The remains of a man found in the Snake River near the Grande Ronde River 25 miles south of Lewiston back in 1982 have been identified.

The Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene in June of 1982. The Nez Perce County Coroner estimated that the man was between 18 and 22 years old, stood 5’11” tall, and weighed between 145 and 160 pounds. The man was never identified and was referred to as 'Snake River John Doe'.

By 2008 the case was entered into the National Missing & Unidentified Persons System. A sketch was conducted of the man's likeness, however no matches were found.KLEW News reported on the case back in 2014.

In 2023 The Nez Perce County Coroner’s & Sheriff’s Office and The Idaho State Police Forensic Services submitted forensic evidence to Othram, an agency that specializes in forensic evidence and genealogy. The agency was able to use forensic genetic genealogy to conduct research, providing a new lead in the case. They were able to find relatives and DNA samples were compared to the DNA profile of the man.

The investigation led to the identification of Dewayne Surls. who was born in 1965.

[nickcarraway]

Nez Perce County Coroner’s & Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police Forensic Services Team with Othram to Identify a 1982 John Doe

[Spacetrucker]

D B Cooper?

[mywholebodyisaweapon]

Well, seeing as he would have been about 6 when D.B. Cooper went missing, I doubt it.

[House Atreides]

“ D B Cooper?”
********************

I seem to recall that the only evidence he left behind was a cigarette butt in his seat’s ash tray. Yes, young whippersnappers, there was a time when you could smoke on commercial aircraft once the “no smoking” lights were turned off.

Cigarette butts are a common source of DNA. So has THAT DNA been similarly run?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks nickcarraway.

[texas booster]

In 1982 Dewayne Surls had just finished his Junior year at Moscow High School. Dewayne and his friend Michael Coffin drove a 1976 Datsun from Moscow, Idaho to Boise. There was an accident, the car went into the Snake River, but the water was high and the currents were too strong for divers to search. The boys were presumed drowned. This doesn't explain why he was found with bullet wounds to his neck and left shoulder weeks later.

On June 26, 1982, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in the Snake River near the mouth of the Grand Ronde River in Nez Perce County, Idaho. Nez Perce County is located in northwest Idaho, bordering the southeast corner of Washington.

This wasn't a case of foul play ... but bullet wounds to the neck and left shoulder?

[ridesthemiles]

NEW CARS DO NOT HAVE ASHTRAYS

[NorthWoody]

For a while I heard them called “ashtray/candy dish” (seriously), and also “coin dish”, but yeah, now they just aren’t there.