Natchitoches Parish cold case investigation continues — BDC archive

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NATCHITOCHES, La. -- The Natchitoches Parish coroner continues to turn to advancements in DNA testing, hoping to eventually find the right information to lead to identifying a man whose body was found in a drum more than 20 years ago.

But Coroner Steven Enlow admits while progress continues, it remains slow.

"Our commitment to this case has not wavered. We will continue pursuing every viable lead until this gentleman’s identity is known and his family can be located," Enlow said in a social media post.

The man's body was discovered in October 2005 near Clarence. The body was encased in cement inside a drum.

And despite extensive investigative work over the past two decades, his identity remains unknown.

Enlow announced in December 2023 that funding had been secured to advance DNA testing. Traditional identification methods — including DNA profiling, dental comparisons, and facial reconstruction — have not produced a match.

The case was also featured on the series "Killing Fields," where additional DNA techniques were explored, but those results did not lead to an identification.

To continue moving this case forward, Enlow's office partnered with Othram to utilize advanced DNA technology and forensic genetic genealogy.

"This method has helped solve numerous long‑standing cases across the country, and we remain hopeful it will do the same here," Enlow said.

Because this case dates back to a time when both forensic DNA databases and consumer DNA testing were far more limited, the initial DNA profile had very few potential matches. Today's genealogical tools allow us to pursue leads that simply did not exist in 2005. We are actively working through those leads, narrowing both paternal and maternal lines of descent as more data becomes available," he added.https://www.ktbs.com/news/natchitoches-parish-cold-case-investigation-continues/article_234c1853-a6c5-43d4-a332-5447c7544584.html