Investigators identify skeletal remains found 20 years ago in Gwinnett County cold case

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Skeletal remains that were discovered nearly 20 years ago in Gwinnett County have been identified through DNA.

The remains were found in a storm basin along Craig Drive in Lawrenceville in 2003. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s office has identified them as Gordon Rexrode.

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Authorities believe Rexrode died some time around 2002 after becoming estranged from his family. A homemade pipe commonly used to smoke crack cocaine was found near the remains.

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The Gwinnett M.E.’s office reached out to the DNA Doe Project for help identifying the remains in 2021. They submitted a DNA sample, which was submitted to laboratory analysis and the DNA profile was uploaded to GEDmatch, a public database.

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In November, investigators were able to use DNA matches to identify Rexrode as the likely candidate. He was born Nov. 2, 1932 in West Virginia, and also lived in Alabama and Georgia. Rexrode disappeared from public records in 2002.

The DNA Doe Project, Inc. is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to identify John and Jane Does and return them to their families.

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