Skeletal remains discovered last year at a Gwinnett County construction site expanding Northside Hospital Gwinnett have now been identified as those of a Duluth man who vanished in 2020. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office said DNA testing linked the bones to Timothy Mitchell Williams, whose family reported him missing on July 18, 2020. Authorities say the investigation into how he died is still underway.
How Investigators Finally Put a Name to the Remains
A breakthrough in early 2026 came after forensic genetic genealogy produced leads that pointed investigators to possible relatives. According to DNASolves/Othram, laboratory sequencing of the skeletal material created a SNP profile that allowed investigators to confirm the match using DNA from a relative.
Medical Examiner Confirms the Match
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner formally connected the remains to Williams and said DNA from his mother matched samples taken from the bones. As reported by CBS Atlanta, the office said Williams "was a son, a brother, and a loyal friend" and noted that the investigation is ongoing.
Discovery at the Hospital Expansion Site
Construction workers expanding the hospital along State Route 316 near the Duluth Highway exit reported finding a skeletonized skull on Feb. 10, 2025, and authorities brought in cadaver dogs to search the area. Fox 5 Atlanta covered the initial discovery and the early Lawrenceville Police response.
Case History and Forensic Clues
The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System after investigators could not identify the remains, and Williams had been listed in NamUs after he disappeared in mid-July 2020. DNASolves/Othram noted that the skull showed a healing fracture behind the left ear, a detail investigators documented while genealogists worked the DNA leads.
Investigation Still Active
Officials have not released Williams' cause of death and say the probe into the circumstances of his disappearance and death remains active. As outlined by CBS Atlanta, anyone with information is asked to contact the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office or Lawrenceville Police.
The identification gives Williams' family long-awaited answers after years of uncertainty and underscores how forensic genealogy is providing new leads in cold and unidentified-person investigations across the state.
