State officials released a statement Wednesday asking for the public's help in identifying a body recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard from the ocean 27 miles off Jonesport on July 24, 2000.
The plea came after a forensic artist and computer enhancement specialist from South Carolina volunteered his efforts to generate a sketch and photo of what the man may have looked like while alive.
The body of John Doe #21 was found floating in the ocean 27 miles from Jonesport in the summer of 2000. All attempts to identify him have failed. (Image courtesy of State of Maine)
Chief Medical Examiner Margaret Greenwald and Attorney General Steven Rowe released the sketch and photo for the first time Wednesday and hope someone will recognize the man.
Since the recovery of his body, the man is known only as John Doe #21. Previous efforts to identify him through fingerprints, DNA, dental records and personal items have all failed.
A flurry of publicity around the body's discovery in 2000 generated a few phone calls, but John Doe #21 was not identified, and his case was largely forgotten, except by Dr. Greenwald and the medical examiner's staff.
"We all have been frustrated that we can?t find out who this man is," said Greenwald. "Once in awhile we get a lead, but nothing ever pans out."
In September, Greenwald sent her office administrator, Jim Ferland, to present the case of John Doe #21 to a conference on Missing Persons and Unidentified Human Remains sponsored by the National Institute of Justice.
This is how John Doe #21 may have looked prior to his death. The composite was made by a South Carolina police lieutenant and released for the first time Wednesday. (Image courtesy of State of Maine)
At this conference, Ferland learned about an organization called the Doe Network.
The Doe Network is an international volunteer organization devoted to assisting Law Enforcement in solving cold cases concerning unexplained disappearances and unidentified victims from North America, Australia and Europe.
Their mission is to give the nameless back their names and return the missing to their families. The Doe Network also sponsors Project EDAN (Everyone Deserves A Name), a group of volunteer forensic artists who donate their time and skills to create reconstructions and age progressions of missing and unidentified people.
The sketch and photo of John Doe #21 were created by Lt. Wesley Neville of the Florence County Sheriff's Department in South Carolina. They are currently on display on the Doe Network's website, doenetwork.org.
Rowe said, "During this holiday season, I am hopeful that we will give this man a name and a family. I am so thankful for the humanity and hard work of Dr. Greenwald and her staff, as well as the assistance of the Doe Network and Lt. Neville."
Due to the state of the remains, the cause and manner of death could not be determined. The body was cremated and the remains were buried in an Auburn cemetery at state expense in July, 2000.
Greenwald and Rowe encourage anyone with information that may be helpful in identifying John Doe #21 to contact Jim Ferland at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner at 624-7180 or james.ferland@maine.gov.