Tour·6 stops·spanning the 1940s to the 1980s

Named at last

Unidentified victims and the long work of giving them back their names.

Before a case can be solved, the person at its center has to be identified. For the victims here that took decades — bodies found without documents, fingerprints that matched nothing, faces reconstructed from bone. Each was filed under a placeholder, a Jane Doe or a nickname or a case number, while the search for a name went on.

The Somerton Man lay unidentified on an Adelaide beach for 74 years before genetic work proposed a name in 2022. "Buckskin Girl" was Marcia King, named 37 years after her murder. In New Hampshire's Bear Brook barrels, four victims waited decades to be known.

For most of the people here, the first act of justice was simply to say who they were. For one, the Isdal Woman, that work is not finished.

§ The route

6 stops, in order

Stop 1 of 6· opened
SomertonManSuitcase — Credit: Australian police, via English WikipediaPublic domainSource
COLD AudioThe Somerton Man (Tamám Shud case)Somerton Park beach, Adelaide, South Australia · 1940s · 5 to watch & hear
Why it’s hereUnidentified on an Adelaide beach for 74 years; genetic genealogy proposed a name in 2022.
Stop 2 of 6· opened
Marcia King — Credit: https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/miami-county-sheriff-office-release-new-detail…Editorial useSource
UNSOLVED AudioDeath of Marcia KingGreenlee Road, Newton Township, Troy, Ohio · 1981 · 1 thing to watch or hear
Why it’s here'Buckskin Girl', unidentified for almost 37 years before DNA gave her a name.
Stop 3 of 6· opened
Rasmussen mugshot — Credit: Roxane Gruenheid/Contra Costa County Sheriff’s OfficePublic domainSource
COLD AudioBear Brook murdersBear Brook State Park, Allenstown, New Hampshire · 1985 · 1 thing to watch or hear
Why it’s hereFour victims in barrels, identified decades later alongside their killer.
Stop 4 of 6· opened
Mendocino Crime Scene 2 — Credit: Mendocino County Police DepartmentPublic domainSource
UNSOLVED AudioKillings of Kerry Graham and Francine TrimbleHighway 20 near Willits, Mendocino County, California (remains recovery site) · 1970 · 1 thing to watch or hear
Why it’s hereTwo friends misidentified for decades until DNA corrected the record.
Stop 5 of 6· opened
Cali - Arroyo Grande - Walker Co - Buckskin Girl Poster — Credit: CarlK90245CC BY-SA 4.0 Source
UNSOLVED AudioDeath of Tammy TerrellNear Arroyo Grande wash, south of State Route 146, Henderson, Nevada · 1980 · 1 thing to watch or hear
Why it’s hereUnidentified for decades before genetic testing named her.
Stop 6 of 6· opened
SvartediketUlrikenIsdalen23Juni1 — Credit: AqwisCC BY-SA 3.0 Source
COLD AudioDeath of the Isdal WomanIsdalen (Ice Valley), Bergen, Norway · 1970s · 1 thing to watch or hear
Why it’s hereA burned body in Norway, her identity stripped away and still formally unresolved — the open case in this file.

End of the route. Listen to it end to end, or walk it on the map.

Map tour