1985 Cold Case Heats Up With New Image of Murder Victim

Image: A DNA laboratory analyzed the unidentified victim’s DNA and performed a facial reconstruction to produce this image (Anne Arundel County Police Department).

Detectives with the Anne Arundel County Police Department released an image Tuesday of an unidentified homicide victim whose body was found more than 30 years ago.

The victim’s remains were discovered on April 23, 1985, in a metal trash container during construction of the Marley Station Mall in Glen Burnie, the department said Tuesday in a press release. All attempts to identify the white male victim have failed, the police said, and the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit is asking the public for help.

Last March, the cold case detectives approached a DNA laboratory based in Reston, Va., for help. After analyzing the victim’s DNA and performing a forensic facial reconstruction, the lab produced an image of the victim as he would have appeared in his mid-20s.

The victim is described as about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a slim build and brown hair. He was wearing a blue and black sweater, slacks and leather shoes, the police said.

They estimated that the victim had been dead for about five months when his remains were discovered, meaning his disappearance occurred at some time between the late fall of 1984 and early 1985.

“Based upon the injuries, the [victim’s] manner of death is consistent with homicide,” the police said.

The victim’s image was produced by Parabon NanoLabs, a company that specializes in DNA phenotyping, “the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from unidentified DNA evidence,” the police said. The images of crime victims generated by Parabon have aided law enforcement agencies around the country in generating leads and narrowing suspect lists in criminal investigations.

The people who knew the homicide victim are now in their 50s; with the passage of time, they may be more likely to come forward and help the cold case detectives, the police said.

They are urging anyone “with information as to the identity of the victim or the persons responsible for his murder” to come forward by calling the Anne Arundel County Cold Case Squad at 410-222-4731. If they wish to remain anonymous, they can also call the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers.

You can call, email or text your tip to the Metro Crime Stoppers Hotline, available 24 hours a day toll free at 1-866-7LOCKUP or text MCS, plus your message, to CRIMES (274637). Phone calls are not recorded and callers remain anonymous. You may also be eligible for a cash reward of up to $10,000.

You can also visit the Metro Crime Stoppers website - please click here.