Naming the Dead

A convicted serial killer, Larry Eyler, confessed to the murder of more than 20 men across Illinois and Indiana in the 1980s. But several of his victims remained unidentified for decades. Now, after years of frustrated efforts, Newton County Coroner Scott McCord enlists the help of the DNA Doe Project to try and identify one of the last unknown victims and return him to his family.

For 38 years, the remains of a young woman – found murdered by the side of a freeway outside of Tyler, Texas – have sat inside a cardboard box in the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. Now, with retirement looming, Detective David Turner is teaming up with the DNA Doe Project to solve the case, find her family and – finally – lay her to rest.

Thirty-two years ago, a young female is found dead in the desert outside Phoenix – her body too badly decomposed to identify. Now, crime scene technician Stephanie Bourgois is joining forces with the DNA Doe Project to find the girl’s name and bring her home.

In 1961, a body was found crushed under ice in a railroad car in Nebraska and quickly buried. After discovering his grave marked with the words “Unknown Negro,” local journalist Marresa Burke is determined to find his family. Teaming up the DNA Doe Project, they take a sample from his exhumed body before following a trail of clues across the country.

Bryan Johnson’s first case as a new detective in 2020 was a homicide – a man found near an oil well site in Stark County, Ohio. But four years later, without even a name for the victim, Bryan has not been able to close the case. He enlists the help of the DNA Doe Project to try and find out the man’s identity.

For 28 years, the horrifying case of a young man who was burned alive sat on a shelf in the Atlanta Police Department. Without a name for him, the case remained inactive. Now, investigators have teamed up with the DNA Doe Project to attempt to identify the “man on fire” and at last provide his family with resolution.