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Contact: Carolyn Marinan, Communications, 612-910-9111
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Law enforcement identifies ‘John Doe’ missing since 2013
Discovery is thanks to DNA science and partnerships
After years of investigating and tracking down hundreds of leads, law enforcement has identified “John Doe,” who was found deceased in Rosemount in 2014.
Thanks to DNA science and law enforcement partnerships across the state and county, we now know that his name is James Everett. He was 48 years old at the time of his death and was from Cohocton, New York. His wife, Patricia Everett, described him as an intelligent man, computer geek, accomplished cook, self-taught acoustic guitar player and sports fan.
“We, especially me, never gave up searching. We were always on the lookout for him when out and about and frequently did a lot of online searching for any indication of activity or other clues as to his whereabouts…” Everett said. “Although this has not been the expected nor desired outcome in our search for him, we are all grateful and blessed to at least have this opportunity for closure, which many are not as fortunate to get.”
Representatives from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office and Rosemount Police Department also spoke on Wednesday, chronicling the timeline of the investigation.
Investigation timeline
2014: remains found in Rosemount
On September 29, 2014, a Union Pacific worker found human remains in a decommissioned railroad utility shed in the 14500 block of Burma Avenue in Rosemount.
Rosemount Police detectives believed the man was using the hut as a temporary shelter. They didn’t find an ID or wallet to identify him. However, they found newspapers and receipts suggesting he might have died in fall 2013.
Investigators determined that he was a white man, with long brown and grey hair, age 30 to 50, and about 5 feet 6 inches tall. The Medical Examiner’s Office, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), and Rosemount Police issued alerts asking for help identifying the victim.
Police canvassed the area and investigated potential leads without success. The Medical Examiner’s Office did forensic analysis of the remains.
Law enforcement entered the victim into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS).
“Because the circumstances of this case were so unusual, we had to try many alternative ways of identifying the victim,” said Dr. Andrew Baker, medical examiner. “We couldn’t have done this work without the help of several law enforcement partners.”
2015 - 2016: investigation continues
They entered his DNA profile into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) performed a facial reconstruction of the victim. The Medical Examiner’s Office shared photos of the rendering with the public.
2017: community gathers for funeral and burial
After investigating more than 570 leads, the case grew cold. The community held a funeral and buried the victim in Inver Grove Heights.
This was only the second time in the modern history of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office that unidentified human remains were buried.
2019: DNA investigation begins
Investigators started working with Parabon Nanolabs to determine potential DNA matches. After investigating for hundreds of hours, they found a potential match: a man who had been living in the State of New York.
“I admire the collaboration between the investigators of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Rosemount Police Department,” said Rosemount Police Chief Mikael Dahlstrom. “This was a complex case that spanned nearly eight years and required critical thinking and innovation. The persistence used to identify this man and bring answers to a grieving family demonstrated sincere dedication and compassion.”
2022: identity uncovered
The Medical Examiner’s Office engaged Everett’s family and got the DNA needed to confirm his identification.
“Our search to identify this man was important,” said Shawn Wilson, department administrator for the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office. “We all had questions, and we couldn’t begin to tell his story until we knew his name. But the story of James Raymond Everett is not ours to tell. It is his family’s, and they now have an ending.”
Full statement from Patricia Everett
On behalf of myself, Jim's family, friends, and former co-workers, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude to Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, Rosemount Police Department, especially the investigation team, as well as the public media and various other agencies that have invested so much of their time, energy, knowledge, persistence, and compassion with the investigation and identification of my husband James Everett.
We would also like to thank you, the residents of Rosemount, for your concern and compassion, your willingness to support and be there for a complete stranger by actively sharing information and for attending Jim's funeral service on June 30, 2017, and for those distant family members who submitted DNA for genealogy research as without them, he would never have been identified. We are incredibly grateful that he was not alone. Please be assured that we, especially me, never gave up searching. We were always on the lookout for him when out and about and frequently did a lot of online searching for any indication of activity or other clues as to his whereabouts. Several of us had a few of what we believed were sightings over the past eight years in places that he frequented prior to his sudden departure. The last being last summer of 2021 when I was certain I had seen him in the Penfield suburb of Rochester, New York. Knowing what I know now, this was obviously not Jim as he was discovered in Rosemount in September of 2014.
Jim was scheduled to go on a work trip in September of 2013, but I later found out that he did not attend this trip. For unknown reasons, he left home leaving keys in the mailbox and never returned. He was reported missing and was located a few weeks later at a rest stop by a Montana State Trooper so the missing person’s report was closed. He indicated to the trooper that he had problems at work and had quit and was just driving. I thought he may have reinvented his life and was living elsewhere, until I was visited by a police officer at my home inquiring about Jim.
I’d like to share a few things about Jim, so you know who he was as a person. Jim was a highly intelligent individual with a well-rounded collection of skills and various talents. He was a true computer geek since his high school days, to the point of training the teacher for our school's first computer class offered in 1984 with the arrival of Apple computers and DOS based programs. That passion for technology flourished over the years and became his life's work.
He was an accomplished cook and baker with significant experience in both short order and fine dining throughout the city of Rochester, New York. He relished the challenge of creating dishes and baking cakes for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and so on. His creations were always elaborate and well-engineered.
He was a self-taught acoustic guitar player and had an amazing voice. Never a time goes by when I hear 'We've Got Tonight' by Bob Seger that I don't immediately think of Jim, as that was the song he sang and played for me at our wedding reception. He had everyone in tears by the time he was finished.
Jim was forever a fan of Denver Broncos football and Buffalo Sabres hockey, but he could instantly recite stats for pretty much any player of any team, whether for football, hockey, baseball, basketball, World Cup soccer, and even golf. That skill made him a very valuable asset for any trivia team.
Though he had very little family left, he was blessed with so many friends, acquaintances, and co-workers and loved and now missed by all. Although this has not been the expected nor desired outcome in our search for him, we are all grateful and blessed to at least have this opportunity for closure, in which many are not as fortunate to get. My heart truly goes out to those folks. Grief is not easy; there are no guidelines. It is different for each individual. The rollercoaster of emotions has definitely been a rough ride these past several months. I am thankful for the support of our family, friends, and co-workers. I'm also very thankful and blessed with everything that all of you here in Hennepin and Dakota counties have done. Thank you for caring about Jim and for letting me share a bit about him with you. For those who are missing a loved one, I hope this story provides hope that your loved one may also be found.
Partners in the investigation
The following partners assisted the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office and Rosemount Police Department in the investigation.
- Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee
- DNA Doe Project
- DNA Solutions
- Ann Norlander, forensic dentist
- John Filippi, forensic dentist
- Family Tree DNA
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Hamline University Anthropology Department
- Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA)
- National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
- New York State Police
- Parabon Nanolabs
- University of Minnesota Genetics Department
- Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee
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