DNA testing used to identify 1986 homicide victim in northern Arizona
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — After a decades-long mystery, authorities have identified a John Doe who was found murdered behind a cafe in northern Arizona.
DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to a man named Arthur Humphrey, who was around 47 years old at the time of his murder almost 40 years ago.
In December 1986, hikers discovered skeletal remains in a field roughly 150 yards behind the Hub Cafe in Cordes Junction, a small town north of the Valley. The Yavapai County Office of the Medical Examiner performed an autopsy and found that the person died by homicide, with “blunt force trauma” to his head, including two skull fractures.
Investigators said he was wearing white socks, blue jeans, a leather belt, a checkered western-style shirt and a t-shirt with the logo of a shark that had a Riviera Beach, Florida address and the words, “Frank’s Shark Killers.”
Despite thorough investigations, the man remained unidentified for decades and became known as the “Yavapai County John Doe.”
In 2024, the Yavapai County Medical Examiner’s Office teamed up with Othram, a corporation that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy. Forensic evidence was sent to Othram’s lab in Texas.
By using genome sequencing, scientists created a DNA profile to look for possible relatives of the victim.
A sample was collected from a possible relative and compared to John Doe’s DNA. Officials say the comparison came back as a confirmed match, leading investigators to identify the victim as Humphrey.
Humphrey’s identification marks the 10th case in Arizona where officials have identified an unknown person using Othram’s technology.
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