DNA testing has identified remains found on the bank of the Des Moines River near Keosauqua in 2022 as those of an Ottumwa man missing since 2018.
Ottumwa police said Friday that testing on a human femur the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office recovered from the riverbank showed it was that of Timothy William-Michal Fortney, 22, whose mother first reported him missing in 2019. He had been listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System since 2021.
Remains identified using DNA after missing Ottumwa girl identified earlier this year
The testing of the remains labeled “Des Moines River John Doe” was conducted by Southeast Missouri State University staff and students with the help of Othram, a Houston company whose DNASolves program aims to help solve “unsolvable” cases, according to a news release
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The analysis was arranged after similar DNA testing by the university and Othram earlier this year helped identify the remains of Helen Renee Groomes, 15, also of Ottumwa, who had been missing for more than 45 years.
In the Fortney case, DNA from the recovered remains matched samples collected by Ottumwa police investigators from possible relatives.
The cause of Fortney’s death remains unknown and Ottumwa police continue to investigate the case.
Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Remains found in 2022 identified as Timothy Fortney of Ottumwa, Iowa
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