VT BURLINGTON JOHN DOE: WM, 18-99, found in Oakledge Park in Burlington, VT - 3 Jan 2011 *ARTHUR WEISS*

2518UMVT - Unidentified Male​

Date of Discovery: January 3, 2011
Location of Discovery: Burlington, Chittenden County, Vermonta
Estimated Date of Death: 1975-2011
State of Remains: Partial skull fragment
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 18-99 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers​

Dentals: Not available.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Unknown.
Jewelry: Unknown.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown.

Circumstances of Discovery​

A partial, quarter-sized skull fragment was located in Oakledge Park in Burlington on January 3, 2011.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Burlington Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Michael Hemond
Agency Phone Number: 802-658-2704
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 11BU000502

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 12366

Information Source(s)​

NamUs
Burlington Police Department

Doe Network: International Center For Missing and Unidentified Persons

Doe Network is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to bringing awareness to missing persons and unidentified persons throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia.

www.doenetwork.org

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Burlington John Doe 2011 - DNA Doe Project Cases

DONATE

dnadoeproject.org

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Burlington ‘John Doe’ identified 15 years after skull fragment found

Fifteen years after a skull fragment was found in a Burlington park, investigators have now identified the man to whom it belonged.

www.wcax.com

Burlington ‘John Doe’ identified 15 years after skull fragment found​

Fifteen years after a skull fragment was found in a Burlington park, investigators have now identified the man to whom it belonged.

In a release on Tuesday, the DNA Doe Project says they determined the skull fragment is from Arthur Weiss, an 87-year-old New York man. They say he was never a missing person, but that his ashes were scattered in Burlington’s Oakledge Park back in January 2011.

After the fragment was first found, police forensic work revealed it belonged to an adult white male who died between 1975 and 2011. But without other leads, the Burlington Police brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, which works with genealogists to solve cases.

They say a key clue -- Weiss’ Ashkenazi Jewish heritage -- helped them trace his DNA to a woman from Belarus, who had immigrated to the U.S. and turned out to be his mother.

Investigators later confirmed a friend of Weiss in Burlington scattered the cremains.

 

[Kimster]

This is so interesting. His remains were spread, supposedly just ashes. So if you are asked to spread someone’s remains, and a bone fragment comes out, what do you do? Do you bury it?

 

[Guess Who]

This is so interesting. His remains were spread, supposedly just ashes. So if you are asked to spread someone’s remains, and a bone fragment comes out, what do you do? Do you bury it?

The way some pour them out, rather than spread, a lot of them might not even realize it.

 

[Kimster]

I just wonder what I would do if that happened to me. I think I would bury it.

 

[Guess Who]

I just wonder what I would do if that happened to me. I think I would bury it.

I think I would certainly be questioning the crematory if there were pieces big enough to be seen and recognized at as a possible piece of human bone.