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James Floyd Gibson, 39 of Susquehanna Township, Harrisburg, had been missing since Feb. 4, 1998. Around 12:16 p.m. on April 18, 1998, a fisherman unknowingly found his body in the Turkey Point area of the Susquehanna River, located in Manor Township, Lancaster County, the coroner's office detailed in the release.
His clothing was gone and "significant postmortem changes to the body, caused by time and environmental factors, made the male unrecognizable and it was difficult to determine an accurate profile of what the male could have looked like prior to death."
An autopsy, performed on April 20, 1998, revealed no evidence of trauma and the coroner's office determined his death to be from Fresh Water Drowning.
Then investigators began the process of trying to identify him:
"Characteristics of each tooth were carefully documented for future comparison with antemortem dental x-rays or dental charting. Radiology studies were also performed. A preliminary profile documented the male as possibly being Caucasian with a height estimation of 6’1” and weight estimation of 260 pounds. The first facial reconstruction was done during this time, and a clay bust of the male was created. With no leads on the male’s identity, the case turned cold."
Police pleaded with the public for any leads, sending out press releases in 2008 and 2013, but in 2017 the coroner's office partnered with the FBI to make a new facial reconstruction and revealed it to the public in 2018 — but his identity remained unknown, according to the coroner's release.
Finally, in September of 2023, the Coroner’s Office coordinated with the DNA Doe Project, "a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping identify unidentified decedents using forensic genealogy," as stated in the release.
"A single tooth" was all that was needed to match the body to that of Gibson in Nov. 2023, as stated in the release. In March of 2024, the DNA Doe Project "revealed that the genetic profile of the unidentified male had a familial match to the DNA provided by family of James Gibson."
The chart of the dental match was sent to the coroner in May 2024 and officially matched Gibson and the body the fisherman found.
The manner of death remains undetermined.
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