OH TWINSBURG JOHN DOE: BM, 20-35, found dismembered and lit on fire in Twinsburg, OH - 18 Feb 1982 *FRANK LITTLE JR*

On February 18, 1982 the partial remains of an unidentified African American male were discovered by workers at a nearby business behind a now closed establishment at 3047 Cannon Road in Twinsburg, Ohio. They initially found a skull, but later, about 40 to 50 feet away, a garbage bag of bones. The deceased’s body, which showed evidence of stabbing, blunt force trauma, and postmortem fire, had been dismembered before being stuffed into the garbage bag. A forensic anthropologist estimated the man was small in stature, about 5′ 6, and was between 20 and 35 years old. The deceased may have had a noticeably humped back or slouched posture due to Kyphosis (a forward curvature of the spine). Investigators theorize the man or his killer may have worked at the former Chrysler Stamping Plant in Twinsburg.

DNA Doe Project Status: Research in progress

Twinsburg John Doe 1982 | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

Click the Report button if you'd like this case moved to the general discussion area to be opened for commenting.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Demographics
Sex: Male
Race / Ethnicity: Black / African American
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 40
Estimated Age Range (Years): 20-35
Estimated Year of Death: 1974-1981
Estimated PMI: Years
Height: 5' 6"(66 inches) , Estimated
Weight: Cannot Estimate

Circumstances
Type: Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found: February 18, 1982
Location Found Map
Location: Twinsburg, Ohio
County: Summit County
Circumstances of Recovery: Partial remains were discovered in and around a garbage bag behind a now closed business by an employee. It is estimated that the remains had been there for two to four years.
Details of Recovery
Inventory of Remains: One or more limbs not recovered One or both hands not recovered
Condition of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

Physical Description
Distinctive Physical Features
Deformity: May have had a noticeably humped back or slouched posture

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Police need help identifying body found in 1982

The Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Twinsburg police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man whose body was found more than 20 years ago.

www.news5cleveland.com

The Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Twinsburg police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man whose body was found more than 20 years ago.

"Somebody out there knows something. We're hoping to solve this," said Twinsburg Det Sgt. Craig Bremner.

The man is believed to be an African American male between the age of 20-30 years old at approximately 5'6" tall.

His remains were found on Feb. 18, 1982 behind a business at 3047 Canon Road in Twinsburg. Workers at the nearby business found a human skull. “Approximately, 40 or 50 feet away there was a bag of bones," added Bremner.


"While his remains were discovered in 1982, we believe that his death occurred approximately a year and half before that," said Chief Christopher J. Noga in a statement from the attorney general's office.

Police believe John Doe could be from outside of Ohio.

"It's my feeling, he could be from the Detroit area. At that time, there was an automotive plant that was bringing workers from Detroit, Michigan to the area. Just my theory. Could be a possibility," said Bremner.

 

[Windstorm]

Twinsburg John Doe 1982 was added to Gedmatch by the DNA Doe Project. As of February 22, 2021, he had almost 1,000 DNA matches. His highest match was 136.7 cM - this is not a substantial match. He is on the Google Drive spreadsheet at:

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

NamUs profile down. No updates from DNA Doe Project.

This individual's NamUs file has recently been removed. While this implies the resolution of a case, no identification has been confirmed at this time.

Frankie Little Jr.

Frank "Frankie" Little Jr. (1943 - c. 1979) was an African-American guitarist and song writer whose partial remains were discovered at a business in Twinsburg, Ohio on February 18, 1982. He was last seen alive in the mid-1970s and is now believed to have been killed in or around 1979. He was...

unidentified-awareness.fandom.com

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Remains found in 1982 identified as guitarist for R&B group The O’Jays

Human remains discovered in Twinsburg in 1982 have now been identified as those of Frank “Frankie” Little, Jr., who was a guitarist and songwriter for R&B band The O’Jays, as a result of genealogical research from the DNA Doe Project.

www.news5cleveland.com

Remains found in 1982 identified as guitarist for R&B group The O’Jays​

Human remains discovered in Twinsburg in 1982 have now been identified as those of Frank “Frankie” Little, Jr., who was a guitarist and songwriter for the R&B band The O’Jays, as a result of genealogical research from the DNA Doe Project.

“It’s definitely nice that we can give some answers to the family and hopefully they have some sense of closure,” said Twinsburg Detective Eric Hendershott. “He had a life, and ultimately he ended up here in Twinsburg, with his life taken by another.”

Little was born in Cleveland in 1943 and raised here. In the mid-1960s, he was a guitarist and songwriter for The O’Jays. He also served in the U.S. Army for two years, including a deployment to Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

“Frankie was a member of the band in the 1960s,” Hendershott said. “He played guitar with the band in the studio and on tours.”

Little had a daughter who passed away in 2021 and a son who has not yet been located or identified, police said.

Little was last known to reside in Cleveland, and it is believed he was last alive in the mid-1970s. Not much is known about his disappearance or death.

Hendershott said with the remains identified 39 years later, the focus now is trying to figure out who killed Little.

“We’re trying to figure out how he got there and who could have put him there. That’s what we don’t know,” he said.

 

[Kimster]

Are you kidding me? I love the O’Jays! I had no idea any of their band members were missing!!!!

 

[Kimster]

According to TMZ, at the time they found the bag behind a business in Twinsburg they could tell the person had been stabbed to death several years prior, but they were not able to figure out his identity.

It is believed Little was last alive in the mid-1970s.

"His identity remained a mystery for almost 40 years," a police statement said.
<snip>
The band released a statement to CNN saying that Little was part of the band in the early days and that they hadn't heard from him since, but wished his family and friends closure.
"He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and travelled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time," the statement said.

Little served in the US Army for two years, which included a deployment to Vietnam during the Vietnam War, according to the police statement.

Little had a daughter who passed away in 2012, and he has a son who has not yet been located or identified, it said.

When Frank played with The O'Jays in the group's early days he wrote songs including Pretty Words and Oh How You Hurt Me, TMZ reported.

After his tenure, the group scored its biggest hits including Back Stabbers, For the Love of Money and Love Train.

'Frankie': Human remains found identified as former band member

Human remains found nearly 40 years ago in a garbage bag have been identified.

www.nzherald.co.nz

So, he was not in the band when he went missing? That's what I'm gathering. I'd love to know more about what he did after he returned to Cleveland.

I followed the bank during the time Love Train was popular, so it looks like he wasn't a member by that time. How sad!