The Hineston Chronicles Volume 11 Number 1
The Hineston Chronicles
~~~~Cold Case ~~~~
One afternoon my phone rang. When I answered a lady asked me if I knew Oscar Carl Dyess and Don C Marler? With all the scams – of course I wanted to know why she was asking that question. The story she told me startled me, saddened me, and awakened my research appetite.
There is a genetic detective site on Facebook - and other DNA sites – like DNA Detectives. I’m sure most of you have heard of CeeCee Moore – and her TV show Genetic Genealogist. I watched all the shows several times and was puzzled how she could just take DNA from a person from years ago and find who he or she was. In some cases, she could find who might have taken a person’s life.
Remember the “Golden Gate Killer'' case? Through DNA from the GedMatch site, the Golden Gate Killer was found because a relative had taken the test and uploaded his DNA in the GedMatch database.
How might this be done? GedMatch is a collective database. No matter which DNA company you tested with, you can upload your DNA to GedMatch. You have a choice of “opting in” or “Opting out” for law enforcement. When law enforcement adds someone’s DNA into GedMatch, if one has “opted In'', the DNA can show all matched DNA.
Everyone must make that choice of “opting in” or “Opting out”. Me – personally - If my DNA can be used to help solve a crime, I feel it will help give closure to grieving families.
Never in my wildest of dreams would I think I would be in the middle of one of these cases! This phone call laid it out for me.
Leslie (the lady on the phone) said that my dad, Oscar Carl Dyess, and my first cousins, Don C. Marler, O. C. Marler, and Loretta Dyess Cooley, DNA matched a deceased person who had passed away about sixteen years ago. Those of you who have worked with DNA know that everyone in the family might not match the same person. How disappointed I was when my DNA did not match the deceased. But – happy some of my family’s DNA did match!
Oh, cool, I thought! Not so fast! My thought process was on a different trail than was Leslie's. I thought she wanted me to find how “Cameron Doe'' matched people in my database! When I asked what the deceased name was – this is when I realized what a “cold case” really is. She had no name! All she had was DNA status from the few bones that were found!
To me, everyone must have a name; therefore, For Information only – Leslie and I named the deceased “Cameron Doe” because he was found in Cameron, North Carolina. It was dawning on me!! We had NO name!
My mind was racing. How does one find a name? No ID information, no clothes, no jewelry, nothing – except some bones. There were no DNA matches in any of the police databases!
The law enforcement then uploaded Cameron Doe’s DNA in the GedMatch database. Not only did Cameron Doe’s DNA match some of my immediate family, his DNA matches several other people’s in the database. Leslie gave me some names of the DNA matches – and – some of them also matched some of my immediate family.
“My people” matched about 4th cousin to Cameron Doe. There were a few others that matched closer. So why choose me to help?
Leslie was going down the list contacting the matches! I was the ONLY one who answered the phone who was willing to work with Leslie to find Cameron Doe’s name and family. Some of the other matches said they didn’t know any of their family who was missing; some wouldn’t respond back at all; and, a husband of one match wouldn’t let us get past him. So – all poor Leslie had was me!
What did we know at this point? About November 2005, there were some boys playing near an old abandoned house. When one of the boys’ dog ran into the old abandoned house, the boy went into the house and found the bones on the second floor. He ran got his mother who then called the police. The bones were identified as human bones! In 2005, there was no available funds to do DNA on the remains aka bones found. So – they sat!
However, in 2020 – the police had gotten the finances to do a DNA test on the bones which were found in 2005. Sixteen (16) years!!! By the way, the date of death was determined about 2003 – two years before the boys found them in the old abandoned house. Cause of death – still undetermined to this day.
So where does one start? Did someone miss this person? Did someone report him missing? And, if they did and there were just bones and no DNA at that time, who knows who the bones belong to? So many questions! Not very many answers!
I started building trees! Many trees! Started with the people who matched Cameron Doe’s DNA the closest on down.
Thankful for a cousin named Sherry! She and I work very closely together, and I told her about it. She jumped in and together we worked endless hours on building trees!!!! Many trees! I did mention, many trees, right?
This literally took both of us several months.
Obits are very important. Sadly, the closest matches that Sherry and I were building trees had very few obits!
Finally, Sherry found an obit for 2017. Deceased was from Cameron, North Carolina. The Obit listed several children. We located all the children except one! On every site we searched – this one person – seemed to drop from existence. Stopped finding anything on him about 15 years ago. Bingo!
Leslie, who was working with the North Carolina police, submitted the information to them. There was one sister listed on the obit who still lived in the area. She was located and she took a DNA test.
What was learned from the sister? She had reported her brother missing in 2007. He didn’t keep in close contact with the family. The 2017 obit was for the father and they listed Cameron Doe’s name on the obit hoping he or someone he knew would see the obit and he would show up. However, that didn’t happen. Remember Cameron Doe had been missing since about 2003 – and – his bones were not discovered until 2005.
Bingo again! Sister’s DNA came back as a perfect sibling match!
Now, Cameron Doe has a real name! Michael Joe Wesley Baker!
A question remains! Where does Michael AKA Cameron Doe belong in my family tree? Still working on that! Very complicated – with some ½ relationships, some close marriages. One day Sherry and I will solve that part! But – we both had to get back to doing our genealogy which was greatly neglected during these months.
Leslie was asked to do a news conference explaining who Cameron Doe was.
Sherry and I are thankful we had a hand in helping Michael’s bones to find a resting place with his family.
Would I want to try another Cold Case? No, not unless another set of bones matches a family member like this one did. It is very hard, very frustrating, and very time consuming. I am, however, thankful this case did come my way.
The following URL fully explains the Cameron Doe (Michael Joe Wesley Baker), cold Case. It shows an interview in 2005 with the little boys who discovered the bones. I think you will find it interesting.
Cameron Doe – Michael Joe Wesley Baker’s URL:
Comments
Post a Comment