DNA nonprofit helps investigators revisit Cache Creek cold case

JACKSON — Three of the man’s wisdom teeth had been removed. But one was still in his mouth.That detail helped Teton County sheriff’s investigators narrow down hundreds of missing-person records to seven possible matches for the man whose bones were found up Cache Creek in 1998.But still, investigators failed to find any family connections to the man without a name. Nothing matched the evidence at that time.Now, 28 years after a hiker found the unknown Cache Creek man’s skull, the sheriff’s office has signed a $6,600 contract with the DNA Doe Project, hoping the man’s DNA will lead investigators to his relatives and, ultimately, his name.“We want to give a family closure and just answers to their question of what may have happened to their loved one,” Sgt. Robert Osmond said this week.The DNA Doe Project is a nonprofit that helps authorities identify unknown human remains. Its volunteers use DNA matches and family trees to develop leads.

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