I have heard of The Boy in the Box I haven't heard The Girl in the Box. She was a African American little girl who was found beheaded. Her remains were decompsed and she was in a milk carton

She had severe burns on her back. Her arms were both fractured. The little girl was wrapped in a white apron and blue plastic before being put in the carton. This is in Philadephia, Pennsylvania just like The Boy in the Box but unlike Joseph Zarelli's case hers is still unsolved. In September 2024 her remains were exhumed by the police for DNA testing. All I could find on her case was a newspaper clipping above no picture that angers me and I am white.

I came across a recently entered unidentified-person case in NamUs and wanted to see what others think about Thomas Doolan (MP92087) as a possible candidate.

Unidentified man: https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/158229/details?nav

Remains found April 16, 2026 in Manhattan, New York
White/Caucasian male
Estimated age: 50–90
Estimated height: 5’7”–6’2”
Weight: unable to estimate
Remains were skeletal and not near-complete, so tattoos/scars apparently could not be documented
Clothing recovered/on the remains included a hat, size-small Gildan shirt and boxers
ME/C case number: M26-12262

Thomas Doolan: https://charleyproject.org/case/thomas-doolan

Missing from New London, Connecticut since December 6, 2019
White male
DOB: October 25, 1960
Age if alive when the remains were recovered: 65
Height: 5’10” (some contemporary reporting listed 5’9”)
Weight when missing: 190–200 lb
Brown hair
Blue eyes
No eyeglasses are mentioned in the missing-person descriptions I found
He had abdominal/back scars and tattoos on his bicep and shoulder, but because the unidentified man’s remains are incomplete/skeletal, the absence of documented tattoos doesn’t appear useful for excluding him.

Doolan disappeared while living at a sober-living facility on Berkeley Avenue in New London. He believed he might have to leave the facility and disappeared on December 6, 2019. He left most of his belongings behind. His only known transportation was a black mountain bicycle. After his disappearance, there was reportedly no activity on his bank account or EBT card, his only sources of income.

His daughter said his disappearance was extremely out of character: he normally contacted her every few days, but after December 6 he missed both Christmas and his grandson’s birthday.

Why I think he’s worth submitting:

The objective characteristics don’t produce an obvious exclusion:

- White male ✓
- Age 65 in 2026 → Doe estimate 50–90 ✓
- 5’9”/5’10” → Doe estimate 5’7”–6’2” ✓
- Brown hair ✓/potentially consistent
- Missing in the Northeast ✓
- Missing long enough for skeletal remains ✓
- Tattoos/scars unavailable for comparison due to condition of remains

The remains being found in Manhattan would obviously require Doolan to have traveled from Connecticut at some point, and I haven’t found evidence establishing that he ever went to NYC after disappearing. That’s the biggest speculative part of the comparison.

Also, the Doe’s extremely broad age and height estimates mean that these similarities aren’t particularly distinctive by themselves. Ultimately, dental records and/or DNA would be needed to establish or exclude a match.

From DNASolves.com: "On October 15, 2020, the City of Chester Fire Department was dispatched a house fire at approximately 7:30pm in the 500 block of West Sixth Street in Chester, Pennsylvania. Upon arrival, firefighters found an abandoned home engulfed in flames. After extinguishing the fire, the remains of a man were found lying on a mattress in a structure adjoining the burned home. Investigators responded and the man's cause and manner of death were listed as "undetermined."

The man could not be identified and details of the case were into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP90774."

In December 2025, the Delaware County Office of the Medical Examiner submitted evidence to Othram's laboratory, where scientists developed a DNA extract from the provided remains. Othram's scientists then built a comprehensive DNA profile for the man.

During the course of their investigation, a potential relative of the man was located, and the relative provided a DNA sample which was compared to the unidentified man's DNA profile. This DNA comparison enabled investigators to positively identify the man as Matthew Kwiatkoski.

RIP Matthew.

Links

Archived NamUs: https://web.archive.org/web/20260403151856/https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/90774#%2F90774

Unidentified Wiki: https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Matthew_Kwiatkoski

Delaware County Daily Times: https://www.delcotimes.com/2020/10/16/firefighters-find-decomposed-body-following-building-fire-in-chester/

Have there been any updates on the bodies of three children who were found in Memphis in April? I have been looking but can’t find anything, but realized I could be missing something. I think the last thing that I remember them releasing was that the bodies were not those of the Skelton brothers. Haven’t heard anything about potential race, sex, or ages of the children either.

Pisinemo Village John Doe was a man whose remains were found in the desert 6 miles northeast of Pisinemo Village, Arizona.

Date of Discovery: 
August 13, 2013
Location of Discovery: 
Pisinemo Village, Arizona
Estimated Date of Death: months - years
State of Remains:  skeletal
Cause of Death: not stated

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 35-50 years old
Race: unknown
Sex: male
Height: 5'3"
Weight: unknown
Hair: unknown
Eye Color: Unknown

Clothing and Personal Items

Clothing: 

• Denim backpack.
• Circular knife sharpening stone.
• White Hilfiger socks.
• Red, white and blue Aeropostale jacket.
• Dark Nike shirt with 90 on front.
• Dark Gap corduroy pants.

links

• Pisinemo Village John Doe at NamUs

Human remains of a Elderly women in her 70s was found inside a Black Wheelie bin liner in Stanley park, Police say the victim had strawberry blonde hair and had a ​​cerise pink nike t-shirt and was 5ft and police say she could have been in the bin for weeks, if anyone has any tips contact the Merseyside police or contact crime stoppers or there tipline which is ​0800 555 111

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6324jn15jo

I wanted to learn a little more about does who specifically left instructions to keep their identities hidden.
Also possible is does who committed suicide and did not have any identification with them or made it nearly impossible to identify them — though the intentions with these cases may not fit my query.
I’m specifically looking for cases where the doe themself wanted to obscure their identify, not a murderer or someone else.

A good example is the Christmas Tree Jane Doe, identified as [Joyce Sommers](https://dnasolves.com/articles/christmas-tree-lady-joyce-sommers/).
Another case is Plaquemines Parish John Doe. Both leaving notes telling those who find them that they wish to remain anonymous, unidentified.

Thanks!!

Date of Discovery: 
October 26, 2005
Location of Discovery:  Harris county Houston, Texas
Estimated Date of Death: 1 year
State of Remains:  skeletal
Cause of Death: beating

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 50-65 years old
Race: white
Sex: male
Height: 5'3"
Weight: unknown
Hair: unknown
Eye Color: Unknown

Clothing and Personal Items

Clothing: 

• Dark belt with silver buckle.
• Possibly dark pants.
• Black Tred Safe sneakers.

links

• Harris County John Doe at NamUs
• Harris County John Doe at the Doe Network
• Harris County John Doe at the Texas Department of Public Safety

This is sad that these people had physical or mental disorders and people used it to just act to them like they were garbage and abuse them and kill them. Like this case:

Luis "Luisín" María J.C. was a man discovered naked and wrapped in a blanket in Somiedo, Spain, initially unidentified despite suffering from distinctive and severe congenital malformations. At the time, Luisín was believed to have passed away from a heart attack with no foul play suspected. While unidentified, he was referred to as "The Man of Somiedo".

In 2025, his two siblings were arrested, and they confessed to letting him die of starvation so they could keep collecting his disability pension without having to care for him.

And peggy Johnson and a lot of people...

Date of Discovery: 
August 16, 2011
Location of Discovery: Apopka, Florida
Estimated Date of Death: weeks
State of Remains:  decomposed
Cause of Death: not stated

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 30-60 years old
Race: white
Sex: male
Height: 5'4"
Weight: unknown
Hair: dark brown/black
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: 

• Mid-face deviated slightly to the left.

Clothing and Personal Items

Clothing: 

• Dark blue/black Dickies shorts.
• Light colored cloth belt.
• Cotton briefs.
• Dark polo shirt.
• Black Air Jordan sneakers with blue soles.
• White socks.
• Black baseball cap with PIRELLI logo.
• Black rubber bracelet with "PROTECT THIS HOUSE".

links

• Apopka John Doe at NamUs

“Marianne” or “Mary Ann” is the possible name of a transgender woman Samuel Little confessed to murdering in either 1971 or 1972 in Miami, Florida.

In 2018, infamous serial killer Samuel Little confessed to murdering a transgender woman either named Marianne or Mary Ann. He stated that he had met Marianne at The Pool or The Pool Palace near 17th Avenue in Miami, Florida. She then stated her name was Marianne (or Mary Ann). Days later, they met at a different bar in Overtown, where she accepted an offer for Little to drive Marianne to her home in Liberty City. Marianne lived with a multitude of roommates in Liberty City and Brownsville and mentioned a man named ‘Wes’ who she stated was her boyfriend.

Upon arrival, one of Marianne’s roommates requested for Little and Marianne to buy shaving cream. Little and Marianne returned to Little’s stepfather’s car, a gold 4 door Pontiac LeMans, in which they drove north on Highway 27. He then murdered Marianne on the driveway, possibly close to a sugarcane field.

Little then drove further on Highway 27 and entered the Alligator Alley section of the Everglades then drove onto a dirt road that led to either a swamp or river. He then proceeded to drag Marianne’s body 200 yards before abandoning it in the thick muddy water of the Everglades. He does not believe her body was discovered due to the lack of news coverage.

While Marianne’s body has never officially been found, Little’s confession is deemed to be reliable

• Year of death: 1971-1972

• Gender: transgender woman (AMAB)

• Height: 5’6-5’7

• Race: Black

• Location: Miami, Florida, United States.

• Weight: 130-140lbs

• Cause of Death: homicide, however exact cause is unknown

FBI ViCap
Wikipedia
Unidentified Wiki

On August 30,1992, the skeletal remains of a woman were found near Blythe, California. She was a victim of Keith Hunter Jesperson, the Canadian born “Happy Face Killer” who murdered 8 women in the United States between 1990 and 1995. He had victims in California, Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming but confessed to killing up to 160 women across the US and Canada. He got his name “Happy Face” because he drew a smiley face in a bathroom and write an anonymous confession to the murder of his first known victim, Taunja Bennett.

He also murdered Cynthia Lyn Rose, Laurie Ann Pentland, Patricia Skiple, Suzanne Kjellenberg, Angela Subrize and Julie Winningham.

In 2010, Jesperson pleaded guilty to killing Claudia, and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He remains incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary

He confessed that “Claudia” had been hitchhiking at truck stops, he he picked her up at the Break Check Area off Interstate 15 and drove her around San Bernardino, and they intended on going to Phoenix, Arizona

“Claudia” remained his final unidentified victim and through genetic geneology efforts, her biological father and half sister were located. He had 9 children among 5 different women and died in 2006. She was believed to have had family in either Texas or Louisiana

In August 2026, researchers received a tip that led them to her maternal family in Texas, and her identity was confirmed through DNA testing

“Claudia” was actually 25 year old Lydia Jane Wade McWhorter, from Galveston, Texas. Her family last saw her in the 1990s, and spent decades not knowing where she was.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Hunter_Jesperson

https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Lydia_McWhorter

https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/nation-world/happy-face-killer-last-victim-identified/507-82910f43-343e-458a-b9a1-c526d99e4c7f

Case

On the afternoon of November 14, 1969, a crew of Cleveland (Ohio) Water Department workers were cleaning a sewer in the area of E. 9th Street and Erieside Av when they observed a woman's body wedged in the pilings.

An examination determined that the deceased woman was Caucasian, with short black hair and brown eyes, 5'5" height and a weight of 201 lb. She was thought to be between 35-45 years old and had been in the water for only a few days.

Details of NamUs UP16689

ME/C Case Number: 134409

Biological Sex: Female

Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Estimated Age Range (Years): 35-45

Estimated PMI: Days

Height: 5' 5"(65 inches), Measured

Weight: 201 lbs, Measured

Hair Color: Black

Head Hair Description: Post mortem photo indicates apparent shoulder-length or shorter hair.

Eye Color: Brown

Scar/mark: 1/4" circular hyperpigmented (darker than surrounding skin) area of scarring in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen.

Inventory of Remains: All parts recovered

Condition of Remains: Recognizable face

Clothing: Aqua dress, white full length girdle

Footwear: Black or brown loafers

Jewelry: Gold wristwatch on left wrist;

Ring on left hand ring finger;

Necklace on neck

Links

NamUs (NSFW for postmortem photo): https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/16689?nav

Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 16, 1969: https://www.newspapers.com/image/1063429666/

Unidentified Wiki: https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Cuyahoga_County_Jane_Doe_(1969)

Exclusions (missing persons who have been ruled out)

Ida Anderson

Leila Bryan

Rosemary Calandriello

Thora Chamberlain

Cynthia Constantine

Dora Forstein

Iva Foss

Beth Franks

Mary Hammonds

Pam Hobley

Bessie Linder

Beverly Mastny

Marion Morton

Karen O'Donoghue

Joan Risch

Elsie Roane

Betty Roberts

Doris Scandalis

Lora Skaggs

Patty Spencer

Debbie Spickler

Cora Stokes

Patricia Sturbaum

Floradean Walker

Grace Zoeller

Note: There's a different NSFW postmortem image on [Project Doemain] (https://www.projectdoemain.com/cases/UP16689) that shows unusually long earlobes - I wonder if she wore clip-on earrings frequently. Clip-on earrings from that era tended to include glass beads and other heavier materials.

Barbara Jean Baldwin – The Charley Project

Unidentified Person Case

Unidentified Person Case

First time posting on this subreddit, and while I was looking around between the Charley Project and NamUs I found Barbara Jean Baldwin and these two cases, which to me both seem like very viable options. If anyone has any thoughts on this case, it would be much appreciated, thank you.

Case Summary:
Name: Aron Holmes Silverman
Date Missing: June 5, 1993
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
Age at Disappearance: 17 years old
Details: Last seen leaving a party in Norfolk with an unidentified female companion (reported to be a go-go dancer from Newport News). He left behind all personal belongings (including his guitar) and never made contact with family or friends again.
Does anyone know if there have been any recent developments, law enforcement updates, or DNA/NamUs activity in Aron's case?

Mahwah, NJ– The Placer County Cold Case Investigations team has identified the remains of a man found in 1994 in Nyack, CA as George Krusely (4/30/1929), in part due to research conducted at the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Center.

 A partial human skull was found by loggers near a campsite at Lake Putt on July 7, 1994. At the time, detectives estimated the campsite had been there for quite some time, potentially upwards of a year. Several items were collected and stored in evidence, including the remains. Due to the limited evidence, a cause of death was never determined.

 Krusely was last known to be in California in 1963. It’s unclear how long he had been deceased when his remains were located.

 The case was referred to the Ramapo College IGG Center in December of 2024.Through extensive DNA testing by the California Department of Justice and Othram Inc., investigators were able to develop a DNA profile from the evidence. That information was shared with the IGG Center in January of 2025 where students who previously completed the IGG certificate program volunteered to trace the genetic information and identify Krusely as a candidate in December of 2025. Once Krusely was confirmed by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the IGG team began working on identifying a living descendant to Krusely.

“The case was very challenging due to the Croatian and Yugoslavian ancestry of the

unidentified,” said Cairenn Binder, director of Ramapo’s IGG Center. ”Low representation in accessible DNA databases and limited availability of genealogy records in some populations can make our research more complex.”

 The Lordstown Police Department in Ohio assisted investigators in obtaining a DNA sample from Krusely’s descendant. The sample matched the DNA profile developed from the remains, allowing investigators to confirm that the remains belonged to George Krusely.

 The Placer County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to investigating cold cases and bringing answers to families, no matter how much time has passed.

 “I applaud everyone involved in this case for seeing an opportunity to bring a family answers,” said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo. “No matter how many years pass, everyone deserves answers. The Placer County Cold Case Unit is proving that advances in technology can make a remarkable difference in solving cases that have gone cold. While answers can’t bring back a loved one, we hope this identification provides some peace and brings an end to the uncertainty that has lasted for decades.”

The Placer County Cold Case Foundation was created by community members who want to support families and help keep Placer County cold cases alive. One of the ways the foundation supports the Cold Case Investigations team is through financial assistance that helps offset the costs of submitting evidence for advanced DNA testing.

 Advances in DNA testing and genetic genealogy are providing new hope in cases that have gone cold. Testing evidence can be expensive, however, and funding can be a significant barrier to pursuing new leads.

 The Ramapo College IGG Center provides casework services, education programs, and conducts research to advance the field of investigative genetic genealogy.  To date, more than 89 cases have been resolved or are active thanks to the IGG Center team and students.

To learn more about the work of the Ramapo College IGG Center, visit ramapo.edu/igg. To learn more about the Placer County Cold Case Foundation and its work supporting cold case investigations, visit placercoldcase.org. 

Hope never grows cold.

https://www.ramapo.edu/news/press-releases/new-jersey-college-helps-id-human-remains-in-1994-california-cold-case/

Unidentified wiki page

Date of Discovery: 
August 27, 2012
Location of Discovery: Marion County Summerfield, Florida
Estimated Date of Death: unknown
State of Remains:  skeletal
Cause of Death: not stated

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 25-45 years old

links

• Marion County John Doe at NamUs

Date of Discovery: 
April 27, 2008
Location of Discovery: imperial county
Calapatria, California
Estimated Date of Death: 1 month
State of Remains:  decomposed
Cause of Death: not stated

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 23-35 years old
Race: white/Hispanic
Sex: male
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 180
Hair: unknown
Eye Color: Unknown

links

• Imperial County John Doe at NamUs

Date of Discovery: July 8th, 2010
Location of Discovery: 
Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
Estimated Date of Death: days - weeks
State of Remains:  unknown
Cause of Death: not stated

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 10-40 years old
Race: Asian
Sex: female
Height: 5'3"
Weight: unknown
Hair: black
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: 

• Skinny build.
• Type O blood.
• Tattoos:
  • "GOD'S MERCY" on abdomen.
  • "LOVE MASUMI F" on lower left abdomen.
  • Butterfly on left upper back.
  • "JESuS" on right ankle

Clothing and Personal Items

Clothing: 

• Black short-sleeved t-shirt with "CRASH SHOCKING SOUND".
• Gray Uniqlo pants, waist size 61 cm.
• Blue Uniqlo bra top.
• Black panties.
• Brown belt.
• Glasses.

links

• Fukushima Prefectural Police (Japanese)
• Unidentified Decedent Database (Japanese)