AKRON, Ohio — Officials are again seeking the public’s help in identifying an Akron John Doe, this time equipped with technology that may make recognition easier.
A partnership between the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and The Ohio State University has allowed for facial reconstruction renderings officials hope will help identify the man, whose remains were recovered in Akron in 2016.
“You’re given a name on your first day, and it should live on after your last day,” Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost said in a press release. “Help us do right by this man: If his face looks familiar, please tell us what you know.”
Summit County Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler said in the release that she is grateful to everyone involved for their support in this case.
“I am hopeful that the variety of digital images created with this new technology will help us to identify this person and allow us to give his family closure regarding his whereabouts,” she said.
The renderings of the man were created off scans of a clay model. There have been other reconstructions created in this partnership between BCI and OSU’s Office of Academic Affairs Digital Learning and Advance Computing Center for the Arts and Design.
A skull had been found on Jan. 8, 2016, on a sidewalk near a burned house located at 1345 Marcy St. in Akron, according to the release. Inside the home, investigators found other remains belonging to the man.
The remains had been present in the home since at least 2012, according to the release, when the fire occurred.
Police believe the John Doe was Caucasian and just around 5 foot 9 inches. They believe he was between 30 and 55 years old.
“His cause of death is unknown, and investigators are unsure how his skull ended up on the sidewalk,” the release states.
Officials encourage those with information contact either BCI at 740-845-2406 or the Akron Police Department at 330-375-2490.
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