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The remains of Theodore Frederick Kampf, 46 -- formerly of Camden County -- were found in a wooded area near the North Fork Dam and Dempster Highway in Yukon Territory in 1983, Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced.
He had travelled from New Jersey to Yukon in July 1981, and his family reported him missing in October after he stopped contacting them.
Despite an extensive investigation at the time by Yukon RCMP, the identity of the remains had never been identified.
In 2019, the newly formed Yukon RCMP HCU began actively working on the investigation with particular emphasis on determining the man's identity.
The National DNA Data Bank (NDDB) was able to obtain a DNA profile from his remains. However, no match was made despite comparison attempts made both nationally and internationally.
In the fall of 2020, Texas based Othram Inc. was contracted to conduct advanced forensic analysis. This led Yukon Investigators to begin working with the Oaklyn Police Department and New Jersey State Police on on a missing person case from their jurisdicition.
In a joint effort by the University of North Texas Health Science Centre (UNTHSC) and NDDB, comparisons were done between the human remains and the missing person resulting in a match.
Investigators continued the investigation and believe that Kampf was killed in the same month – July 1981.
Anyone who has knowledge of Mr. Kampf and / or the events leading up to his death is asked to call or email the Yukon RCMP Historic Case tip line, (867) 667-5500, MDIV_HCU@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
This identification has only been possible through the collobaoration of numerous organizations and individuals including: HCU, YCS, NDDB, UNTHSC, Othram Inc., New Jersey State Police (USA), Oaklyn Police Department (NJ), Camden County Prosecutor's Office (NJ), National Missing & Unidentified Persons System, National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains and friends / family of Mr. Kampf.
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