Ohio Missing Persons Case Solved With DNA Technology

TOLEDO, OH — On a chilly day in March, hunters stumbled upon a collection of bones in a wooded area outside of a rural Ohio town.

The bones were found off of Angola Road in Swanton (with a population under 4,000). Lucas County law enforcement collected the remains and submitted them to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation for a DNA analysis. The bones were quickly identified as human.

A team of scientists then used new DNA sequencing technology to identify the remains as those of Dewayne Lewis, a Toledo man who was reported missing in October 2013.

“Sometimes, superheroes wear lab coats,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Congratulations to our scientists and the investigators who took this cutting-edge technique out of the academic ivory tower and took it to the streets.”

The Ohio Attorney General's office said Lewis was last seen on Oct. 21, 2013 getting into a Chevy Impala with tinted windows. He was never heard from again. He was 22 at the time of his disappearance.

Lucas County Sheriff John Tharp said he was grateful to the lab technicians who identified Lewis and allowed his case to move forward.

“The advancements in DNA technology and the collaborative efforts of all agencies involved will help us to seek justice for the victim and our community," Tharp said.

Anyone with additional information on Lewis' disappearance should contact Toledo Police Department at (419) 936-2951.