GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A 25-year mystery may soon be solved thanks to state-of-the-art DNA testing known as Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing, which was developed by Othram Labs, a Texas-based company.
On February 28, 1998, several bones with a box were found along Buford Highway near Weaver Way in Norcross. The bones were found next to a curb at the intersection near a drainage ditch. The bizarre discovery got even stranger when investigators found a message written on the box. It read, “Attention Police, My bones were legally exhumed from South Georgia, please return them to their proper repose.”
Back in 1998, the case didn’t generate much attention on local newscasts. In fact, the case was never mentioned again and as the years went on, and people left the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office, the evidence just sat on a shelf– untouched. That was until Christina Pursley, who works unidentified cases, at the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office came across the box of bones while doing an inventory of their evidence room.
“I thought maybe we should take a second look at everything to make sure that we know exactly what we have,” Christina Pursley explained. “I came across this box that we really didn’t know we had at the time.”
They did an in-house examination of the bones, then sent them to Arizona to have a second set of eyes look at the bones. That’s when Pursley said they learned the bones belonged to two different children.
“We have at least one infant there and someone between 15 and 12,” she said.
It’s also believed the two children were buried somewhere in south Georgia. Pursley said they were able to come to this conclusion because not only did they find bones in the box, but also hardware from a casket. Pursley's team was able to track down the type of casket. The casket also helped them pinpoint a time span of when these children were likely buried, which puts the time period between 1900-1940.
Earlier this year, Pursley said Othram Labs out of Texas reached out to their office to say they had some grant money that they could use to help them with some of their unsolved cases.
On its website, Othram Labs states, “Developed by Othram, Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® or FGGS® is used by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally to break through previously impenetrable forensic DNA barriers and close previously unsolvable cases.”
Othram Labs said late Monday evening that its testing confirmed the two children are not related, which just adds to the mystery of this cold case. Othram Labs has helped Pursley and her team track down a possible relative to one of the children.
“It’s a miracle but they were able to pull DNA from the remains,” Pursley explained.
She said while there is no indication of foul play being involved in the children’s deaths, they would like to return the remains to their closest relatives and be able to give the children a proper burial.
As to why the children were exhumed if that is in fact true, or why the remains were left on the road, it’s a mystery they hope through this DNA testing might get them one step closer to solving this case.
“It’s crazy, yeah like you didn’t miss the whole box of bones in your vehicle, it’s very odd,” Pursley said.
While some of the testing has been covered by a grant, Pursley and her team are working with Othram Labs to raise funds to cover the entire costs of the testing and technology helping to track down the next closest relative of these two children.
Pursley also hopes maybe someone out there has information on where this box came from back in 1998– when it was found at the intersection of Buford Highway and Weaver Way in Norcross. She said they did reach out to police, but they believe the report may have been lost when the agency switched from paper records to digital records.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office. Pursley also hopes by getting the word out about this case, it will help them raise the money needed to cover the remaining costs of this casework and help pay for future testing that could help them close other– what were once considered unsolvable– cases.
The two cases are featured on Othram’s website. You can find more information and how to contribute to each investigation by clicking here and here.