Human Remains Discovered 32 Years Ago Identified |
By Major Christopher Kimmitz | |
February 18, 2022 | |
On September 28, 1990 the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a human skull had been found lying under a fence line next to the roadway of Joshua Road, near the intersection of Mountain View Road. The skull was discovered by a property owner who was bush hogging his field. Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to the scene and confirmed the recovered skull was in fact a human skull and appeared to have been at the location for an extended period of time. The area was searched, but no additional human remains were located. The skull did not show any signs of trauma. Starting in 2011, DNA testing was performed on the remains by DNA International and University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and they were successful in developing a full DNA Profile. The profile was uploaded and searched in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but resulted in negative results. On May 7, 2020, working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, inquiries were made to the OCME to determine if the DNA Extract could be sequenced and searched against the Genealogy Databases in attempts to identify any potential family members or relatives of the unknown victim. In November 2021, thanks to the genealogical research conducted by Ortham Laboratories in Woodlands, Texas, the company was able to provide the Sheriff’s Office with a possible name and possible location of the victim’s father and a brother who were from the Norfolk area of Virginia. Detective Wood located and contacted both the victim’s father and brother and it was at that time detectives were provided the name of Timothy Alan Mangum as a possible identity. The family had not had contact with Timothy Mangum for a number of years prior to 1990. DNA samples were obtained from both the father and brother and sent to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science in Richmond. Based on the DNA comparisons to the remains, the OCME has identified the remains as those belonging to Timothy Mangum. At this time detectives believe that Timothy Magnum was last alive in 1983-1984, but not much more information is known about his disappearance or the circumstances surrounding his death. Detectives are continuing the investigation and attempting to contact anyone who had any contact with Timothy Mangum or can provide any information as to why Timothy Mangum would have been in Stafford County around September of 1990. Our sympathies go out to the family during this difficult time. Timothy Mangum’s identification was made through a collaborative effort conducted over the years by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia, Ortham Laboratory in Woodlands, Texas, DNA Lab International in Deerfield, Florida, the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, in Richmond, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, in Fort Worth, Texas and the OCME in Richmond, Virginia. |
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