Blount County, TN (WOKI) – Human remains discovered in 1981 in Blount County have been identified through a partnership between the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Center, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Unidentified Human Remains Initiative.
On April 4, 1981, the body of a man was discovered by local hunters in the East Miller’s Cove area of Blount County. Forensic anthropologists determined the remains were those of a white male, likely between the ages of 20 and 35.
Investigators with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office worked to determine the victim’s identity using the technology available at the time. Despite their efforts, they were unable to identify the man, and he was classified as a John Doe.
In 2007, the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Center submitted a sample of the remains to the University of Texas Center for Human Identification. A DNA profile was developed and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in hopes of identifying the man. However, no matches were found.
More than four decades later, as part of the TBI Unidentified Human Remains Initiative, TBI agents began working with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office in March 2025 to submit a sample of the remains to Othram, a private laboratory in Texas, for forensic genetic genealogical (FGG) DNA testing. Othram Scientists identified potential relatives connected to the man. TBI agents and Blount County detectives then made contact with one of those family members and obtained a familial DNA standard. That standard was submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Rapid DNA Unit for comparison. Based on the results, TBI forensic scientists confirmed the remains belonged to William Thomas Green (DOB: 03/29/1942), who was originally from the Knoxville area. Further investigation revealed that Green was last seen by family members in Knoxville around 1977.
Investigators are now hoping the public can help provide additional information about William Thomas Green and help piece together the events that occurred leading up to his death. If you have any information about the individuals Mr. Green may have been with before his death, please contact the Blount County Sheriff’s Office at 865-273-5001. Tips can be submitted anonymously via the 24-hour Crime Hotline at 865-273-5200.
The TBI was proud to partner with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office to help bring answers to this four-decade-old mystery. You can read more about TBI’s Unidentified Human Remains DNA Initiative by clicking here.
FGG testing in this case was made possible through U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett’s 2024 Community Project Funding request through the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
