KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Skeletal remains found in September 2021 in a tent in a Knoxville encampment have been identified through digital detective work.
For nearly three years no one knew who the man was that was found Sept. 7, 2021.
Othram Inc., a Texas-based forensic lab, announced Monday they've determined he was Dennis Lowe, born in September 1965.
The case, dubbed "the Old Man," was entered into the online National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs. Despite police efforts, the person remained unidentified as time passed.
Anthropologists couldn't determine the cause or manner of the death, according to Othram.
Items found with the remains included a plastic-faced Elgin watch, a blue Norelco drawstring bag, a beige fang pendant, a black glove, sunglasses with a purple frame and reading glasses.
In 2023, the Regional Forensic Center in Knoxville submitted forensic evidence from the remains to Othram.
Othram used its registered genome sequencing to build a DNA profile of the John Doe. They then were able to create a genealogical profile, which allowed them to sort through genetic genealogy data that pointed to blood relatives of the person.
"Reference DNA samples were collected from the potential relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown man," Othram said in a statement Monday.
That resulted in Lowe's identification.
Othram has helped in other East Tennessee cold cases including the long unidentified remains of a teenage girl found on a remote mountain spot in Campbell County in 1985 before finally being identified a couple years ago as an Indiana native. How she ended up in Tennessee remains unclear.
