The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office has changed the manner of death to homicide in the 1980 case of Danny Mitchell, whose remains went unidentified for more than four decades.
Mitchell, 20, was found in Cleveland on May 17, 1980, but wasn't positively identified until April 2025 through advanced DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy. The case was originally ruled "undetermined" due to advanced mummification and partial skeletonization.
Watch previous coverage of how Danny Mitchell was identified :
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Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas P. Gilson announced the ruling change on Monday, citing the totality of the investigation as pointing to foul play.
"This is a significant step in our investigation into the death of Danny Mitchell. Having an identification helped our review of Danny's death. The sum of the investigation points to foul play," Gilson said. "While we cannot say with certainty what type of violence caused this death, the circumstances are indicative of homicide. By working with our partners, our next step will hopefully involve bringing the person or persons responsible for Danny Mitchell's death to justice."
The breakthrough in the case began in November 2017 when Mitchell's family saw a Twinsburg Police press conference featuring a facial reconstruction of an unidentified person. The family reported Mitchell to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation as a possible candidate.
The identification process involved multiple agencies and advanced forensic techniques. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children collaborated with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the medical examiner's office to conduct DNA testing through Astrea Forensics.
Initial DNA testing in 2023 confirmed a maternal relationship between the unidentified remains and Mitchell's siblings, but it wasn't sufficient for identification. A second round of testing in 2024 using investigative genetic genealogy - the same technique used to capture the Golden State Killer - successfully developed a suitable DNA profile.
In February 2025, genealogists at Innovative Forensic Investigations uploaded the DNA profile into GEDmatch Pro and completed a direct comparison to Mitchell's siblings, confirming a positive sibling relationship.
Mitchell was reported missing by his family on April 2, 1980. His remains were discovered 45 days later on the 2000 block of East 65th Street in Cleveland.
