William Herman Hietamaki was identified as the unknown man 15 years after his remains were found near Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border
November 11, 2009, was a typical day for two construction workers on a highway near the historic Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border. That is, until something out of the ordinary caught their attention: a human bone.
After noticing the first bone, workers continued to search the area — and found bone after bone, according to the . They were human, the workers concluded.
As the workers continued to search, they discovered more: a red T-shirt and a pair of sun-bleached blue jeans. A damaged white towel. A black sneaker and a green sleeping bag. In the following days, the searches were expanded and more human remains were found.
The recovered items were sent to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation, but investigators . For years they searched for a clue, but were unsuccessful.
Forensic genetic genealogy rekindles a cold case
Authorities began re-examining the case in February 2022, when a Mohave County detective obtained a bone sample from the victim. The sample was later subjected to tests in laboratories in Arizona and Texas to try to identify the unknown.
All attempts had the same result: no identification. .
It wasn’t until April of this year that Mohave County investigators were notified by Othram Inc., a Texas genetic laboratory that specializes in identifying victims of unsolved homicides and disappearances, that they had received a grant for forensic genetic genealogy on the case. .
can generate clues to unsolved cases through DNA analysis in addition to traditional genealogical research, according to the .
It combines forensic genetics, or DNA analysis, with conventional genealogy, or family history, for human identification. Othram Inc.’s expertise in forensic genetic genealogy was the missing piece in this 15-year-old puzzle.
In October, Mohave County investigators received a groundbreaking report that concluded the unknown man was descended from ancestors born in Michigan in the mid-1800s. From this discovery, an in-depth investigation followed and investigators found and located possible relatives of the unknown man.
After a series of interviews, investigators discovered that a man named William Herman Hietamaki had not been seen by his brothers since 1995. Before his disappearance, he had last traveled in the Southwest, according to his family.
Compilation of interviews and benchmark tests with the brothers confirmed that the unidentified remains were those of Hietamaki, according to police.
Born in 1950, Hietamaki grew up in the Trout Creek, Michigan area with his family.
He used his middle name, Herman, and was known by those closest to him for his nomadic lifestyle. Hietamaki stayed in Michigan until he finished high school and embarked on a trip around the country. Hitchhiking was a cornerstone of his life.
Hietamaki was last seen by his family in New Mexico when he went to visit his sister in 1995.
Through benchmark tests, researchers discovered that Hietamaki suffered from epileptic seizures. The coroner’s office was unable to determine the cause of death due to the condition of her remains, but estimated the year of her death to be between 2006 and 2008.
Forensic genetic genealogy first emerged in 2018, decades after Hietamaki’s disappearance, according to one at the University of New Haven. The emerging tool has helped identify unknown victims in hundreds of unsolved cases across the country.
