Who is he? Mystery man found in laundry bag in South Jersey 22 years ago

🔴22-year-old cold case homicide remains unsolved in Absecon
🔴Advanced DNA testing suggests victim may be of South Asian descent

🔴Police urge public to call tip line with missing person information

ABSECON — A cold homicide case has gone unsolved in New Jersey for 22 years, and authorities are still looking for the public's help in identifying the victim, the Absecon Police Department announced.

Human remains found off Route 30 in Absecon marsh

On February 17, 2004, Absecon police responded to a marshy area off Route 30 after members of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, doing a roadside cleanup, discovered human remains stuffed inside a laundry bag on the side of the road.

An autopsy determined the remains belonged to an unidentified male, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Clay facial reconstruction and forensic efforts fail to identify victim

The New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Services conducted a clay facial reconstruction to depict the man’s identifying features. But, despite advanced DNA testing and comparisons with missing persons cases, the victim could not be identified.

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He is believed to be between 25 and 35 years old at the time of his death. He had black hair, a prominent nose, and overlapping front teeth. Based on the condition of the remains, investigators believe the man had been dead for at least two months before his remains were discovered.

Advanced DNA testing points to possible South Asian ancestry

In 2023, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office secured funding for advanced DNA testing. While those results indicated the victim was potentially of South Asian descent, specifically from India and/or Pakistan, no new leads developed.

The FBI, along with the Absecon Police Department and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, is asking anyone who may have had a missing South Asian relative or acquaintance between mid-to-late 2003 and early 2004, or who recognizes the victim, to call the Major Crimes Unit Tip Line at 609-909-7666.

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