Bodies of men found in Scioto in 2006, '07 still unidentified
Two men whose bodies were found in the Scioto River -- one in 2006 and the other in 2007 -- remain unidentified despite the efforts of the Franklin County coroner's office.
John Doe No. 06-1082 and John Doe No. 07-1801 were found more than a year apart, one on the South Side and one near Downtown. They are the office's only unidentified bodies.
The first John Doe was found on March 30, 2006. His body was draped over a tree trunk that extended a few feet above the water from a steep bank behind the Fairlane Mobile Home Park on the west side of S. High Street near Williams Road. He had been in the water so long that investigators couldn't tell how he died.
The second man was found May 30, 2007, just off Rt. 33 near the water-treatment plant on Dublin Road west of Downtown. An autopsy determined that the man probably had drowned, but investigators couldn't determine whether his death was an accident or suicide. He had no injuries that suggested foul play.
Since their bodies were discovered, investigators have tried to identify the men through forensic evidence, interviews and missing-person databases.
Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said both cases remain featured on her office's Web site, at www.franklincountyohio.gov/coroner/wanted.cfm.
Gorniak said the cases also remain on national databases. Any leads that come in will be checked out.
Identifying the men remains a personal goal, she said.
"There's family out there somewhere," she said.
Both men were buried in Eastlawn Cemetery on the North Side in February 2008. The office kept key forensic evidence.