Unidentified: 56-year-old cold case of Oakwood Village John Doe remains unsolved

OAKWOOD VILLAGE, Ohio (WOIO)— Fifty-six years ago this Monday, two boys playing near an abandoned home on Forbes Road in Oakwood Village discovered a man’s body inside. The case has never been solved.

On Aug. 3, 1970, the two-story home near Interstate 480 became a crime scene. A spokesperson with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office said the man died of a shotgun wound to the head. His death was ruled a homicide.

Early investigation

Articles from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland Press, published a day after the body was found, reported the man may have been beaten “because his head, found detached from the body, appeared to be crushed,” according to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators in 1970 believed the man had been dead for seven to 10 days. They were unable to identify him. Approximately 1,000 feet from the house, investigators also found a burned-out 1966 Cadillac sedan that had been reported stolen. Both newspapers reported the home had been the scene of several fires during the prior year.

The case today

The case is now in the hands of the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. They have 54 John and Jane Doe cases listed in NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. The majority of those cases are decades old.

https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Search

Chief Investigator Justin Wilson spoke to 19 Investigates about the importance of resolving unidentified persons cases back in 2025.

“So every case here, every person that comes here, it’s really essential to do everything we can to identify them and try to notify their family and get closure,” Wilson said. “That’s really the basic first step of every investigation.”

The clues left behind

According to NamUs, the man was African American, between 25 and 35 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with medium-length black hair. His weight and eye color are unknown.

He was wearing a black cotton shirt and black pants with multi-color threads. The label on the pants read “Dry Clean Only, Kuppenheimer EverKreased.” Kuppenheimer was a menswear brand of the era. He also wore white canvas shoes — possibly Keds — with red and blue stripes. The shoes were worn and speckled with paint.

Investigators found a small hair pick with the name “Kee” on the comb near his body. He had $14 in his pocket at the time of his death.

Investigators are still working to determine whether DNA evidence or other evidence could move the case forward.

Anyone with information about the identity of Oakwood Village John Doe is asked to call the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office at 216-721-5610, select 1, and ask for the Investigations Department.

Need an investigation? Contact 19 Investigates with your request.