ASHLAND, Va. — A man struck and killed on Interstate 95 in Ashland in 1977 has been identified through DNA, according to a news release from the DNA Doe Project.
The crash happened at 2 a.m. on March 23, 1977. Despite having a recognizable face, the man could not be identified.
The Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, which was able to identify the man as Peter Adams, 20, a native of Illinois who was living in Pennsylvania at the time of his disappearance.
“The family tree in this case was complex,” said team co-leader Eryk Jan Grzeszkowiak. “In addition to dealing with pedigree collapse, we ended up needing to build family trees back to Poland, Germany and Switzerland amongst others.”
After about a week of investigating, the team was able to identify a husband and wife who both had familial connections to the DNA matches. The couple had six kids, but there was no evidence that the oldest, Peter Adams, was alive past 1977.
The team presented the information to the medical examiner and investigators learned that Adams went missing on March 17, 1977, just days before the crash.
Further DNA testing by the Virginia State Police confirmed the man was Peter Adams.
“We are honored that the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner came to the DNA Doe Project to help uncover Peter’s identity,” said team leader Traci Onders. “While this case was not without its challenges, we were able to resolve a mystery that’s lasted nearly half a century in a matter of days thanks to the hard work and expertise of our team.”
Click here to learn more about the DNA Doe Project.
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