Overview

• An international research team from Sheffield Hallam University, Ramapo College and Silverwell Research applied Investigative Genetic Genealogy to remains found in Maricopa County in February 2013.
• Genetic data from the body was matched to a distant cousin via consumer databases FamilyTreeDNA and GEDmatch, enabling positive identification.
• Michael Hill, who died at age 75 while visiting a friend and lacked close relatives, is the first British citizen named through this technique.
• Traditional identification efforts by the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner had failed to yield a match over more than a decade.
• Researchers are now advocating for the wider adoption of IGG in the UK to accelerate the resolution of other long-running unidentified remains cases.