We are excited to learn about the identification of Daniel Paul Armentrout, an Alabama hitchhiker who was killed in a car crash in 1961, never identified until now. The story is described in detail in a New York Times article this month.
In February 2021, Astrea was sent bone powder from a tibia and a tooth root sampled from the Bibb County Doe. We extracted DNA using 100 mg of bone powder from each sample, yielding a total of >5 ng and >40 ng of DNA, respectively.
As announced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: “Genealogy efforts led by Identifinders International LLC developed the resulting lead but a significant amount of work by others helped pave the way. #NCMEC worked alongside Bibb County in 2016 and exhumed the remains so that contemporary biometric and forensic testing could be applied. Astrea Forensics and Hudson Alpha Discovery developed the sufficient DNA file used for the genealogy research; and listeners to Gray Hughes Investigates YouTube channel raised the funds needed to cover the expenses. Every resolve is a team effort lead by talented professionals motivated to give these unidentified children their names back.