(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz are seeking assistance to identify a man who was found deceased on April 28, 2019. The male was located in a parking lot of 3800 West Broad St. in Columbus, Ohio.
“This man is someone’s son, friend and neighbor and we are counting on the public to help us identify him so he can be laid to rest with the respect and honor he deserves,” Yost said.
“Through collaboration with experts from the Ohio Attorney General’s office, the post-mortem photo has been released in an attempt to provide a name to this man,” Dr. Ortiz said. “My hope is that by releasing this photo, we can provide closure to the family and friends of this man. As coroner, I take seriously our duty to serve the community of Franklin County and speak for those who cannot.”
The man is believed to be 40 to 70 years old and is 5 feet, 10 inches tall with green eyes, brown and gray hair, and a beard. He has a lion tattoo on his left arm and was wearing hospital scrub pants, socks and shoes. Foul play is not suspected.
A post-mortem image, which is based on a photograph taken after the man’s death, was completed by a forensic artist from Attorney General Yost’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation. BCI’s Criminal Intelligence Unit also released a public bulletin about the case today.
Anyone with information is asked to call BCI’s Criminal Intelligence Unit at (740) 845-2406 or the Franklin County Coroner’s Office at (614) 525-5290.
In addition to post-mortem images, BCI’s forensic artist is available to assist local law enforcement with the creation of forensic facial reconstruction models to help identify unidentified remains and age-progression photographs to help locate missing persons.
BCI also offers the Ohio LINK (Linking Individuals Not Known) Program, a free service to police, coroners and families of missing individuals. The LINK Program was established through the Attorney General’s Office in 1999 to help match DNA taken from family members of missing individuals to DNA from unidentified remains. Samples of DNA submitted by family members as part of the LINK Program are compared only to DNA samples of unidentified remains submitted through similar programs nationwide.
Analysts with BCI’s Missing Persons Unit can also provide case review, investigative assistance, link charts and mapping.
Law enforcement officials or family members of missing persons interested in learning more about the services that BCI’s Missing Persons Unit provides should call 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446).
