Investigators announced they have identified a “John Doe,” a 27-year-old man, who was found murdered and dismembered on the side of the road in Barrington Hills in 1979.
A horseback rider discovered the remains of a person on August 5, 1979, in a grassy area along Old Dundee Road in Barrington Hills.
Officers arrived and located the partially charred torso of a white male victim, according to Barrington Hills Police Department Press Information Officer William Walsh.
The legs had been severed and found near the victim. His head and arms were never located.
At the time, crime scene investigators determined the homicide occurred at a separate location, Walsh said.
The identity of the man could not be established due to no identifying characteristics available.
Walsh said the case went cold despite the efforts of investigators and the man was classified as “John Doe.”
The Barrington Hills Police Department last year partnered with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help to identify the homicide victim.
Othram is a laboratory located in Texas that specializes in testing forensic DNA evidence and forensic genetic genealogy.
A comprehensive DNA profile using Forensic Grade Genome Sequencing was used in a forensic genetic genealogy search, Walsh said.
The search led to the successful identification of the victim as Joseph A. Caliva, who was 27 years old at the time of the murder.
A DNASolves crowdfundraiser established last year was fully funded to cover the costs incurred for the genetic genealogy.
Anyone with information that could assist in the ongoing investigation is asked to call the Barrington Hills Police Department Investigations at 847-551-3006 and reference case number 1979-2050.