When the reconstruction went out on TV, people came forward to identify him as Donald John MacDonald – known as John.  Police took DNA samples from John’s parents and confirmed that it was him.  His skeleton was returned to them for burial.

John was 27 when he went missing, 5 years prior to recovery of his skeleton.  He was over 6ft tall and he was white.  He chose to live the life of a hermit and lost all contact with his family.  He moved to the north of Scotland seeking a life of isolation.  

We don’t know how he died, but there was no evidence of assault or accident.  We suspect he stopped taking his necessary medications and one day simply sat against the tree where he was found and died.  There is no crime to investigate but it is important for his family’s peace of mind, that his body was returned to them.

Forensic Anthropology is about identification of the human or what remains of the human for medicolegal purposes – it is not always about helping to solve a crime.