ST. TAMMY PARISH, La. (WJTV) – St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Christopher Tape is asking for the public’s help in identifying a person whose remains were discovered more than 40 years ago.

According to Tape, the skeletal remains were located by hunters on the bank of the West Pearl River near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line in October 1984. Different methods have been attempted to identify the remains, but the efforts have not yielded conclusive results.

Tape said an examination confirmed the subject was male, probably of mixed race, and between the ages of 18 and 40 years at the time of his death. Experts estimate he might have died as long as 10 years before his remains were discovered, which could place his date of birth anywhere from approximately 1940-1975.

In 2023, the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Laboratory developed a forensic sketch depicting how the man may have looked during his life.

Coroner’s Office Cold Case Investigator Chris Knoblauch believes the male was from Mississippi.

“Every decedent deserves an identity,” Tape said. “Cases may grow ‘cold’ but they are never ‘closed’ until we know the name of the person. His life mattered, and it didn’t stop mattering when he died. I hope someone may recognize the computer-aided likeness and contact us.”

Anyone with information that could assist in this investigation is encouraged to contact the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office at 985-781-1150.