Identified! WI - Jackson Co., WhtMale Skeletal UP12415, in woods, 28-52, August '78 - Dennis Regan McConn

[carbuff]

Sorry, I realize I was unclear - I had meant that the original yearbook that photo comes from has the name listed as "McCann", not McConn (the font used uses the 'a' that can be confused for an 'o' so that is likely how it came to be indexed under McConn).

Also, some further newspaper research seems to suggest that he was divorced "officially" in January 1978, a year after he was seemingly declared deceased.

The way the paperwork works, the official divorce could have have been granted on grounds of desertion before the official death declaration was issued. You'd have to find the actual petition to have him declared dead, and see when the petition was granted, to know whether the death date was assigned retroactively. So disappeared in 1977, divorce for desertion 1978, petition filed hypothetically 1979 and granted 1980 with effective date retroactive to 1977. It doesn't always happen that way but it can.

 

[Grungster]

In October of 1974, his motorcycle was stolen. In May of 1976, he was in a vehicle accident

24 Oct 1974, 24 - Kenosha News at Newspapers.com

28 May 1976, 5 - Kenosha News at Newspapers.com

 

[Feme98]

I wonder if the car accident left him with some broken bones, perhaps they healed well enough in that 2 year gap.

 

[djanga]

The announcement from the DDP page:

On March 31, 2021 the Wisconsin Department of Justice, DCI, (WDJ), the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), and the DNA Doe Project (DDP) announced the identity of a Wisconsin man known only as “Jackson County John Doe 1978” for 43 years as Dennis Regan McConn.

Born in 1947 in De Kalb, Illinois, Mr. McConn was last seen by his family leaving his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin in January 1977. On August 15, 1978 loggers found his remains in a remote wooded area in the Township of Knapp, Jackson County, Wisconsin more than 230 from Kenosha. His death is regarded as “presumed homicide”.

DDP was first contacted for assistance with this case in early 2019. After DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatics were complete, files were uploaded to GEDmatch in September of 2020; the team began their research efforts on September 12. Extraction was difficult, however, and took several attempts by different laboratories. According to Team Leader Jenny Lecus, after data was finally uploaded to Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) in late November, within three days they were able to identify Jackson County John Doe 1978 as Dennis Regan McConn. In total the team spent over 270 hours in their research.

The DNA Doe Project wishes to acknowledge the contributions of those groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the WDJ-DCI and Special Agent Joseph Welsch who brought us the case; DNA Solutions and the International Commission on Missing Persons in The Hague for DNA extraction; HudsonAlpha Discovery for sequencing; Kevin Lord of Saber Investigations for bioinformatics; GEDmatch and FTDNA for providing their databases; our generous donors; and DDP’s dedicated teams of volunteer genealogists who researched and provided WDJ with the identity of the victim.

This is the third Wisconsin case in which DDP has been involved. Genealogical research for this case was provided pro bono by DDP volunteers. Their reward, Team Leaders say, is the thrill of helping provide a name once again to someone who has been known only as “John Doe” for so many years.

For more information on the search for the identity of Jackson Co John Doe:

 

[doggybag2355]

The announcement from the DDP page:

On March 31, 2021 the Wisconsin Department of Justice, DCI, (WDJ), the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), and the DNA Doe Project (DDP) announced the identity of a Wisconsin man known only as “Jackson County John Doe 1978” for 43 years as Dennis Regan McConn.

Born in 1947 in De Kalb, Illinois, Mr. McConn was last seen by his family leaving his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin in January 1977. On August 15, 1978 loggers found his remains in a remote wooded area in the Township of Knapp, Jackson County, Wisconsin more than 230 from Kenosha. His death is regarded as “presumed homicide”.

DDP was first contacted for assistance with this case in early 2019. After DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatics were complete, files were uploaded to GEDmatch in September of 2020; the team began their research efforts on September 12. Extraction was difficult, however, and took several attempts by different laboratories. According to Team Leader Jenny Lecus, after data was finally uploaded to Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) in late November, within three days they were able to identify Jackson County John Doe 1978 as Dennis Regan McConn. In total the team spent over 270 hours in their research.

The DNA Doe Project wishes to acknowledge the contributions of those groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the WDJ-DCI and Special Agent Joseph Welsch who brought us the case; DNA Solutions and the International Commission on Missing Persons in The Hague for DNA extraction; HudsonAlpha Discovery for sequencing; Kevin Lord of Saber Investigations for bioinformatics; GEDmatch and FTDNA for providing their databases; our generous donors; and DDP’s dedicated teams of volunteer genealogists who researched and provided WDJ with the identity of the victim.

This is the third Wisconsin case in which DDP has been involved. Genealogical research for this case was provided pro bono by DDP volunteers. Their reward, Team Leaders say, is the thrill of helping provide a name once again to someone who has been known only as “John Doe” for so many years.

For more information on the search for the identity of Jackson Co John Doe:

I hope an image of him is released eventually

 

[JovanSrna]

I hope an image of him is released eventually

I think there's one on the previous page.

 

[doggybag2355]

I think there's one on the previous page.

Has it been confirmed that the picture from Ancestry was him?

 

[victoriarobinson642]

For those curious, Knapp is about 225 miles away from Kenosha, driving, and it takes around 3 and a half hours.

 

[doggybag2355]

Has it been confirmed that the picture from Ancestry was him?

Just to clarify, I WANT to add the photo to McConn's UID wiki page, however if it's not correct or confirmed, I can't.

 

[djanga]

Just to clarify, I WANT to add the photo to McConn's UID wiki page, however if it's not correct or confirmed, I can't.

May be in the future somebody will find his high school photo from De Kalb high school (or wherever he studied) where it will be definitely him, today somebody has added Jenifer Denton’s high school photo

 

[JovanSrna]

Has it been confirmed that the picture from Ancestry was him?

Authorities seek info in decades-old case of missing Kenosha man
This link has an image of him in the video.

 

[Oddmomout]

Dennis Regan McConn was the son of Rodney McConn & Lois Evelyn Smith--both deceased. His brother Kenneth is also deceased.

Daily Chronicle 11 Aug 1956--team baseball photo in Dekalb of Dennis
Clipping from The Daily Chronicle - Newspapers.com

 

[Oddmomout]

Dennis' brother Kenneth was also a victim of a homicide in 1971 in Illinois. Kenneth was out on bail at the time for shooting another male. Note: Dennis and Kenneth's parents both remarried when they were very young and they have several step and half-sibs.

The Daily Chronicle
De Kalb, Illinois
23 Sep 1971, Thu • Page 1
Clipping from The Daily Chronicle - Newspapers.com

 

[Oddmomout]

Obits for Dennis McConn's parents attached. Dennis is not named in his father's obit.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Authorities seek info in decades-old case of missing Kenosha man
This link has an image of him in the video.

From above link.

 

[Oddmomout]

One last post. Kenneth McConn was a sophmore at Dekalb High School in 1966 and presumably Dennis who was two years older should have been a senior (if he in fact attended the same high school), however he was not present in the yearbook.
Kenneth's HS photo attached

 

[MarziPanda]

The general head and face shape on the recon is pretty accurate. It's all the details they couldn't know that they got wrong. He was a skeleton, so they wouldn't know that he had ears on the larger side or what his hair looked like.

RIP Dennis.

 

[doggybag2355]

View attachment 292129

From above link.

I can kinda see it, more than the previous linked pic from a few weeks back.

 

[iulia]

His NamUs profile was removed today.