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Murder Investigation Reignited as DNA Uncovers Identity of Tennessee John Doe
A man found shot to death in 1986 has been identified as Jerry Harrison of Arkansas.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in solving a cold case murder dating back to 1986 after forensics finally reunited the victim with his identity.
It was August 24th 1986 when hunters in Tennessee’s Caney Valley area of Claiborne County were walking along an isolated rural trail.
To their horror, they stumbled upon skeletal human remains and immediately reported the find to the police. Medical examiners determined that the body belonged to a white male who was probably in his 30s and who had been shot to death.
It was estimated that the body had lay in situ for anywhere between six months to a year before it was finally located, with the killer or killers probably hoping the isolated nature of the trail would result in the remains never being found.
Unfortunately, despite all attempts to identify the victim by Tennessee authorities, there was no match to any missing persons reports and the man was classified a John Doe.
Then, in December 2022, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation decided to try sending the victim’s genetic material to…
