DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force strives to identify the nameless dead
DeKalb County cold case task force
A cold case task force in DeKalb County wants to identify the remains of every Jane and John Doe in the country to give families closure and in some cases, justice.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Investigators in DeKalb County are on a mission to give a voice to the voiceless.
A task force created in 2022 aims to identify the remains of every Jane and John Doe in the county—to give families closure and, in some cases, justice.
What we know:
Time may have forgotten DeKalb County’s unidentified faces, but investigators have not. Each sketch of a missing individual has a case number, but their names remain unknown.
"To be able to put faces to these individuals and to be able to give them names is why we do this work," said Beoncia Loveless, Director of Operations at the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The DeKalb ME’s Office is one of the agencies involved in the county’s cold case task force. The task force is working to solve the mysteries of 17 unidentified remains—some of which are homicide victims. The oldest case dates back to 1987; the most recent is from last year.
"If we can figure out who our victim is, then we have a much greater chance of identifying our suspect and taking a dangerous individual off the street," Loveless said.
The task force was formed in 2022 with the help of a nearly $500,000 federal grant.
"We have remains that sit in the ME’s office unclaimed and unnamed," said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston. "That really should be no one's ending."
The initiative was inspired by the resolution of a decades-old mystery—the death of 6-year-old DeShawn Hamilton. His case was solved more than 20 years later, leading to the 2024 conviction of his mother.
"It was the success in naming and seeking justice for DeShawn Hamilton that led us to get together with all of these partners and say, we can do so much more," Boston said.
Since its inception, the task force has identified 12 sets of remains. The team also secured a conviction in March against Kenneth Perry for a 1990 rape and double murder cold case—thanks to DNA technology advancements and collaborative investigative efforts.
What they're saying:
"The need to do this work is just as important as the work we're doing on cases that happened yesterday," Boston said.
Their work will be featured on Saturday during DeKalb County’s Missing Persons and DNA event, held in partnership with Raymond Green International Outreach of Hope’s annual walkathon.
The nonprofit was founded by Donna Green, whose infant son Raymond was kidnapped from Atlanta in 1978, just days after his birth. The walkathon raises awareness of the missing and provides hope to those still searching.
"Every time I help somebody, every time I talk to somebody, every time I'm on the phone all night with somebody, it just helps me get through my process," Green said.
What you can do:
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and Medical Examiner’s Office are hosting a Missing Persons & DNA Event on May 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Legacy Park’s Cochran Building, 500 S. Columbia Drive, Decatur.
RELATED: DeKalb County hosting missing persons & DNA event this weekend
The event is designed to support families of missing persons by helping them provide vital information, file or update missing person reports, and donate DNA samples that may aid identification efforts. Representatives from the DeKalb County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office will be present to enter data into national databases like NCIC and NamUs. Donated DNA will be submitted to law enforcement and genealogical databases, including CODIS.
Residents filing new reports are encouraged to bring photos, police reports, medical records, or identification documents related to their missing loved one. For DNA submissions, the task force recommends bringing two family members from different sides of the family to improve match accuracy.
The task force -- a coalition consisting of staff from the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the DeKalb County Police Department – is using a $496,045 federal grant to continue its mission of reuniting unidentified remains with families.
The event will also include free genealogy kits and two public education sessions:
"Identity Unknown: How Genealogy Databases Can Solve Cases" with genetic genealogist Jeremy Lipford at 11 a.m.
"Portrait of a Missing Person: Forensic Art and How You Can Help" with GBI forensic artist Kelly Lawson at 11:30 a.m.
The event coincides with the Walkathon for the Missing and Exploited, hosted by Raymond Green International Outreach of Hope. Green has never stopped searching for her son and now works to help other families seeking closure. The walkathon will begin at 8 a.m. at Legacy park.
Registration for the event is encouraged but not required. Visit https://bit.ly/ColdCaseEvents for more information. Details about the walkathon can be found here.