The Tucson Police Department, along with the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner and the DNA Doe Project, has recently identified two previously unknown deceased men, whose deaths date to 2019.
On Feb. 26, 2019, officers found a dead man in the 1500 block of North Frontage Road, near Interstate 10. After the investigation was complete and no signs of foul play were found, the man could not be identified by the investigator or the Medical Examiner’s Office.
The man remained listed as John Doe until June 21, when he was identified as Tommy Gayle Pool Jr., 61, Tucson police said.
Similarly to Pool, a second John Doe was identified as James “Mark” Chaparro on July 1. Chaparro, 63, died in July 2019 after he suffered a cardiac event at Banner-University Medical Center, police said.
The DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit initiative that consists of all-volunteer research teams that use investigative genetic genealogy to identify unidentified remains, was able to identify the men by building family trees from their genetic matches. The Medical Examiner’s Office then confirmed the identifications using other available data.
Chaparro’s and Pool’s families have been notified of the deaths.
“These two cases highlight the collaborative efforts to help identify unknown persons in Tucson and bring closure to their loved ones,” Tucson Police said in a news release. “The Tucson Police Department values the partnership and dedication of the DNA Doe Project and looks forward to continued collaboration in future endeavors.”
