ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — Experts say a man who went missing in St Tammany Parish nearly 10 years ago was identified through new technology. The Texas-based lab is helping bring justice and find answers for one family.
In 2016, a man by the name of Gary A. Maggio went missing. For eight years the Slidell man's voice was lost, his whereabouts unknown.
Authorities say the 67-year-old was an avid outdoorsman.
St Tammany Parish Coroner, Dr. Christopher Tape said, "It was just the skull, no jaw bone, no lower jaw bone, there was the upper jawbone."
Nov. 10, 2017 remains were found in the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. Who the skull belonged to was a mystery. Volunteers and authorities organized search parties, together they combed the area, but no clues ever surfaced.
With nothing to go on, the coroner's office asked for help. So anthropoglots at LSU looked at the remains.
"They could get a general idea it was a male between 25-50, but that doesn't give you much," said Dr. Tape. He said the remains were then sent to Texas.
Othram is using technology used nowhere else in America. Dr. Kristen Mittelman with the lab says they're able to trace DNA and pinpoint where a person falls in their family tree, and that's what they did with mystery remains.
Dr. Mittelman said, "We built a technology called forensic genome sequencing that allows you to be able to work with evidence that may have previously been intractable to forensic testing, in order to provide someone their identity."
She went on to say, "We were able to use our genealogy team to piece back where he belongs in a family tree once that was figured out one of our case managers contacted law enforcement to let them know we think that person is from this family and this generation."
Dr. Tape says, Gary was a Vietnam Veteran and says at the time no one reported him missing. Gary Maggio's identity was once lost, but through technology, it was reclaimed.
Dr. Tape says the cause of death is still being deemed as undetermined. Officials are asking anyone with any information about Maggio to contact the St Tammany Parish Coroner's Office.
The St. Tammany Sheriff's Office said, "We initially worked on the investigation when the skull was found in 2017. The skull was turned over at that time to the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office. We were provided the information earlier this year of the positive identification being made. At this time, the case is listed as inactive on our end pending any new findings pertaining to cause and/or manner of death from the coroner’s office."
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