DNA testing identifies body found in Detroit nearly 7 years ago
Nearly seven years after a body was found on Detroit's east side, DNA testing was able to identify the person.
Othram Inc., a Texas-based company that specializes in forensic genealogy, identified the body as 26-year-old Tiffany Tillmon. According to a news release, skeletal remains were found by an AT&T worker in September 2018 behind a vacant home on Camden Street. At the time of the discovery, investigators identified the remains belonging to a Black woman between the ages of 17 and 22.
In 2023, the Detroit Police Department partnered with Othram Inc. to complete DNA testing. Officials developed a profile using forensic genome sequencing, which investigators used to find a potential relative. DNA from the relative was compared to the profile, resulting in Tillmon's identity.
CBS News Detroit reached out to Detroit police for comment on the case and is waiting to hear back.
According to Othram, the case was the 17th in Michigan, where officials used the company for testing.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office used Othram to identify skeletal remains found in 1986. The remains were identified as Shaun Daniel Brauner, a Detroit man who the family last saw in June 1986. Medical examiners ruled Brauner's death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and ruled the death a homicide.
"The Brauner family wishes to express their deep gratitude to Detective Hooper for his relentless commitment to finding answers, to Detective Rozum for his early involvement, and to the team at Othram Laboratories for their technological expertise," the family said in a statement.
"Shaun was 29 years old at the time of his death—a beloved son, brother, uncle, and fiancé. After 38 years, the family is grateful to finally be able to bring Shaun home, lay him to rest with dignity, and find the closure they have long sought."
In January, the company helped identify two other remains. The body of Robert Booker Jr. was found found 27 years ago in a vacant apartment building in Detroit. Booker's case involves partial human remains found in May 1998 as a construction crew demolished a vacant apartment building near East Grant Boulevard and Ferry Street in Detroit, the agency says.
Meanwhile, a body found badly burned in March 1981 was later identified as Jerry Tate. The manner of death was determined to be homicide.
