Tyler police identify remains found in 2004 after help from DNA Doe Project

Published 11:38 am Tuesday, December 14, 2021

DNA Doe Project

Thanks to the efforts of investigative genetic genealogists and Tyler police, the remains of a man found in a Tyler barn 17 years ago have been identified.

Using the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, police and genealogists, Kim Ryan Casey was identified as the decomposed human skeleton found on Dec. 23, 2004, in a wooded area near U.S. 69 South and FM 2813 in Tyler.

According to police, a forensic medical examiner determined the remains were a white man thought to be between 27 and 42 years old. Authorities estimated he died months earlier in 2004.

Tyler Police Detective James Holt, of the department’s Major Crimes Unit, gave the case to the DNA Doe Project in 2019 once all available leads were exhausted.

DNA Doe Project’s volunteer investigative genetic genealogists identified a candidate of who the remains could have been in August this year and Holt confirmed the match with family members, police said.



Volunteer genealogist Missy Koski said the research tree sent her and others as far away as Scotland to find common ancestors between DNA matches.

“We were challenged by matches that were more distantly related than expected, which was due to endogamy in the Kentucky and Missouri regions of the family tree,” she said.

Kevin Lord, lab liaison for the DNA Doe Project, acknowledged this was a challenging case, including a small DNA sample that was contaminated with bacteria.

“I’m glad that despite these hurdles, we were able to identify Kim and bring some answers to his family,” Lord said.

DNA Doe Project is an all-volunteer nonprofit with a mission to identify John and Jane Does and return them to their families. So far, the DDP has made over 70 identifications. Lab costs for agencies who can’t afford the fees are funded through donations.

The project acknowledged those who helped solve the case: Holt; HudsonAlpha Discovery Labs for whole-genome sequencing; Kevin Lord of Saber Investigations for bioinformatics; GEDmatch for providing their database; its generous donors; and a team of DDP investigative genetic genealogists.