DNA Doe Project: How the DNA Doe Project Uses Genetic Genealogy to Bring Victims Home

Thank you for joining the Hermosa Beach Museum for our October webinar with the DNA Doe Project, and how they are employing modern technology to solve historical crime cases. We were joined by guest speaker Carl Koppelman, a lifetime resident of South Bay who has spent the past 14 years in the effort to restore the names to the unidentified deceased, and resolve decades-old missing persons cases with the DNA Doe Project. Carl explored how the organization operates, as well as reviewed case studies such as the recent identification of Catherine Parker-Johnson whose remains were found in Redondo Beach in 2001.
Through his forensic artwork, he has been able to bring attention to these cases via social media, and through internet sleuthing, has located eight previously missing persons as John Does and Jane Does. Carl has been profiled in numerous media sources, including: Crime Watch Daily, Vice Media, AARP Magazine, ABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News in Los Angeles, A&E’s The Killing Season docuseries, and Atavist Magazine’s The Girl in the Picture. He is currently a volunteer for the non-profit DNA Doe Project, which employs a methodology called Investigative Genetic Genealogy. The DNA Doe Project has restored the identities of over 100 persons who were found deceased, and whom authorities were unable to identify by traditional means.
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