SEMO’s Anthropology students and faculty have helped in solving a cold case involving unidentified human remains found in the Mississippi River near Portageville, Missouri, back in June of 2022.
The remains, referred to as the “Portageville John Doe”, couldn’t be identified through initial forensic efforts. In 2024, local officials reached out to an anthropology professor at SEMO, Dr. Jennifer Bengtson. Her team conducted extensive forensic work, including a biological profile, dental analysis, and DNA sampling, which led to successful identification through testing at Othram, a forensic sequencing lab.
The collaboration between the anthropology team and local officials led to a breakthrough in the case after tracing online posts from relatives of a missing man who matched the remains’ description.
In April 2025, familial DNA testing confirmed the remains were from Robert J. Eaton, a 26-year-old from Elizabeth, Indiana. He had been missing since early 2022.
In a news release from SEMO, Bengtson said they are happy they were able to close this case, but that their work doesn’t stop here.
“As always, we are honored to work with our law enforcement and laboratory partners to help bring resolution to another case. Robbie’s family finally has some answers and can now lay him to rest. But so many other families are still waiting for news on their own lost loved ones. By some estimates, there are up to 40,000 sets of unidentified human remains in this country. We’ll keep working to help put a dent in that number,” Bengtson said.
The investigation was made possible through funding from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and private donations to SEMO’s Forensic Anthropology program.
In May, Eaton’s family traveled to Missouri to recover his remains. While the identification offers answers, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death is still ongoing.
The Southeast Arrow, a student-run news publication, originally published this story. The Southeast Arrow is a news partner with KRCU Public Radio.