Investigators Using DNA to ID Body Found in Dallas

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Investigators are using DNA to identify the man whose body was found off Ridge Road in Dallas Friday afternoon.

“Detectives have collected DNA from a possible family member,” Paulding County Sjeriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. Ashley Henson said in a Tuesday email. “The DNA from the family member will be compared to the DNA of the deceased male at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Atlanta. Once a 100% positive identification is made, pending the DNA match, we will pass that information on.”

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The body was found by a resident in the wooded area near his home on Ridge Road. The resident told police he had smelled something “dead” for a few days and, upon investigation, found the body.

Because the body was so badly decomposed the identity and the cause of death were not evident, an autopsy was scheduled for Monday at the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta.

During interviews with neighbors, police spoke with a woman who noted she’d seen a man acting strangely in the area around noon June 24. The man was reportedly jumping around and flopping on the ground.

The woman filmed a video of the man and contacted 911, but he had left the area by the time deputies arrived, according to Henson.

Police released an image from the video early Sunday morning and believe that the man may be the deceased individual discovered Friday. Initial response from the public has provided a preliminary identification, according to Henson.