On May 22, 1975, authorities were notified that the body of an unidentified murder victim had been discovered buried in a shallow grave in Burlington.
Although 50 years have passed since an investigation into the death of the man, the prosecutor’s office in the district of the district of Middlesex, still hopes that the public will be able to help identify the body and close this cold case for good.
What researchers already knew about the victim
The victim’s body was found in a wooded area near Muller Road in Burlington, District prosecution said in a Thursday press statement. He had fatal injuries on his head, and the post of the medical examiner ruled his death.
The researchers estimated that the man had in the late 1920’s or early thirties when he died, he said the district’s lawyer. Its height was determined to be between 5 feet-10-inch and six feet.
It is also believed that the man had long, dark hair and a beard, said the district’s lawyer. It was found with a T -shirt, jeans, canvas shoes, a fatigue -style jacket of the army and a garrison -type belt with a unique buckle.
The researchers recovered a couple of glasses and a case of glasses from the grave, and therefore believe that the victim was wearing glasses, said the district’s prosecutor’s office. It was also found to carry a necklace with a distinctive medallion that represented faces.
On May 22, 1975, a victim of homicide who was buried in a shallow grave in Burlington, Massachusetts, on May 22, 1975 with this distinguishing medallion.Middlesex District District Prosecutor’s Office
What recently discovered researchers about the victim
Researchers pursued multiple advantages over 45 years, but never resolved the case, said the district’s prosecution. By 2023, the Office Cold Case Unit obtained a search mandate authorizing the exhumation of the victim’s remains, which had been put in an unmarked tomb in Burlington.
The exhumation allowed forensic scientists from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory to collect a DNA sample from the victim’s bones and teeth, said the district’s prosecutor’s office. Researchers asked genealogists for a Texas based forensic genetic genealogy to analyze DNA.
The genealogists determined that the victim was likely to be offspring in southern Europe, according to the district’s prosecutor’s office. The analysis of its DNA indicates that most of their ancestors probably came from modern Italy, Spain, Greece or nearby countries.
“I am grateful for the collaborative efforts of the agencies involved in their continued investigation into this case and their continued commitment to present answers to families,” said Burlington’s police chief Thomas Browne in the statement. “I hope this new information gets people to take another look at this case and call the authorities with any information that can help us identify this individual.”
As researchers expect to identify the victim
Burlington police and the district’s prosecutor’s office call for families in New England, especially those of Italian, Spanish or Greek heritage, who lost their touch with a younger male relative in the early 70’s to call researchers at 781-897-6600 or send them by emailing MiddlexColdcasetips@mass.gov.
“ Thousands of families from all over our country have lost their loved ones to assassinate -the bodies of many of these victims have never recovered and have received adequate burial. Others have recovered, but never identified and buried in unmarked pits, ” said Middlesex District District District prosecutor, in the statement. “This office undertakes to identify all the victims of homicide and to close their laborious families.”