After over seven years of uncertainty, Nashville authorities have successfully identified skeletal remains discovered in Browns Creek in 2016 as Kinloch Wilkinson, Jr. DNA testing and genealogical research were key in bringing closure to a mystery that had long stumped investigators.
The remains were first encountered by a volunteer crew cleaning Browns Creek near Church Street Park, as reported by WKRN. The Metro Nashville Police Department's efforts to locate additional remains led to the understanding that the decedent was to be a white male, aged 40 to 66, known until now as “Browns Creek John Doe." The initial inquiry provided few clues as to the identity of the remains or how the individual came to rest in that creek, and the case dwindled into the cold case files.
In a turn of events, a partnership formed between the Metro Nashville Police Department and Othram, a Texas-based forensic lab, utilizing advanced DNA testing to breathe new life into the case. This collaboration built a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown man, which paved the way for the eventual identification.
According to DNASolves, extensive forensic genetic genealogy research led to the breakthrough that provided investigative leads to law enforcement agents. Follow-up investigations and DNA reference testing confirmed the man's identity as Wilkinson, born December 13, 1959. Described by relatives as a loved and missed family member, Kinloch's family had lost contact with him for over a decade prior to the discovery of his remains.
Matthew Filter, a detective with the Metro Nashville Police Department's Cold Case-Homicide/Missing Persons unit, divulged the challenges of the case in an interview with NewsChannel 5, stating, "It's really hard to tell when you have nothing but skeletal remains to work with." Thanks to modern forensic technology and persistent detective work, Metro Police were able to provide answers and closure to a case that once seemed unsolvable. As the science of genetics bridges the divide between unknown pasts and present knowledge, the story of Browns Creek's John Doe finds its conclusion and a family's lingering questions finally find rest.
