A pedestrian who met with a fatal accident more than three decades ago in Knox County has finally been identified, as per a press release from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson.
The man, originally from South Carolina, was discovered through a collaboration involving TBI, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the Knox County Regional Forensic Center under the Unidentified Human Remains DNA Initiative.
The incident dates back to May 24, 1993, when the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call reporting a pedestrian hit by a vehicle on Cedar Bluff Road in Knoxville.
The victim, lacking any form of identification, was declared dead at the scene, with his body subsequently undergoing an autopsy.
Despite forensic pathologists estimating his age to be between 51 and 60, they struggled to establish his identity. Consequently, he was categorized as a John Doe.
In an effort to resolve the mystery, the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Center sent a sample of his remains to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for DNA profiling.
The resultant profile was entered into both the Combined DNA Index System and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
Further advances occurred when, in December 2022, the forensic center dispatched a sample of the man’s remains to Othram Inc., a private laboratory in Texas, for a more comprehensive DNA profile.
By May 2023, the forensic center had aligned with the TBI partnership, a move integral to the Unidentified Human Remains DNA Initiative.
Utilizing forensic genetic genealogical DNA testing, staff at Othram unearthed details about potential relatives.
TBI agents then leveraged this information to trace a family member and procure a familial DNA standard.
This standard underwent comparison at Othram, conclusively identifying the Knox County John Doe as Elbert Louis Brown. Brown, born on July 1, 1940, hails from the York, South Carolina, area.
Family members last saw Brown in 1992, a time when he was reportedly homeless, according to the release.
The identification of Brown marks yet another success for the Unidentified Human Remains DNA Initiative, following the identification of a woman believed to have resided in Knox County for more than 35 years.
