Gary Lockhart: Human remains found in abandoned Mississippi home identified as missing Marine veteran

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI: With the help of DNA technology, Jackson officials have identified the human remains that were found in an abandoned Mississippi house. The remains were identified as a US Marine veteran who had been missing for more than a decade.

As per Magnolia State Live in Jackson, the deceased man has been identified as Gary Lockhart.

What happened to Gary Lockhart? 

Forensic genealogists have now positively identified a man whose skeletal remains were found inside an abandoned home in 2023.

Jackson Police found the remains of Lockhart in March 2023 in an abandoned house on Cooper Road in South Jackson.

According to a news release from Othram Technologies, per True Crime Daily, in March 2023, Jackson Police Department officers went to a house on Cooper Road and located the human remains.

They were able to confirm that the remains were those of a male, however, at that time, they could not determine any additional identifying traits. The body came to be known as Hinds County John Doe 2023.

After collecting and testing DNA samples from family members, Othram identified the man as Gary Lockhart, who was born on January 30, 1953.

Lockhart was a US Marine in Panama

The remains were sent to Othram for advanced DNA testing by representatives of the Hinds County Sheriff's Office, Jackson Police Department, and other organizations. Scientists at Othram developed a profile of the individual using forensic genealogy and genome sequencing, which ultimately directed investigators to the victim's family.

According to Othram, Lockhart was a US Marine in Panama during the Vietnam War. His daughters reported him missing 10 years ago and hired their own investigators to look for him, but Lockhart "became untraceable."

The study cites a cause of death that was not disclosed. Gary Lockhart's identification marks the sixteenth instance in Mississippi history in which authorities have used Othram-developed technology to officially identify a person.

Earlier, officials from California identified the remains of a woman found in a creek nearly 30 years ago, according to reports.

On August 8, 1993, two hikers found the skeletal remnants in a remote area near Pine Flat Road in Healdsburg, according to the DNA Doe Project.

The woman, identified as Robin Hedrick, was believed to be about 30 to 40 years old and between 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-7. She was also found wearing two yellow metal bracelets.