21, 1945. The suicide victim had stolen the boy's identity in 1978 while living in South Dakota. Authorities began a search for the man's true identity. Extracting DNA proved difficult, as the victim's remains had been cremated. In the year 2000, however, two years before his death, the victim had had a tissue sample taken for a medical treatment. Authorities obtained this sample, but genetic analysis of the sample using traditional law enforcement techniques yielded few clues. In 2016, authorities contacted IdentiFinders, a company run by Colleen M. Fitzpatrick, for help. In examining the man's Y-DNA signature, they determined that his true last name was likely "Nicholas" or some variation. Chandler became the first case for the DDP. They analyzed the autosomal DNA of the highly degraded sample of the man's DNA, which had been stored in paraffin for about 15 years. Despite the obstacles and after over 2,500 hours of work, the DDP researchers were able to conclusively determine in June 2018 that Joseph Newton Chandler III was Robert Ivan Nichols, son of Silas and Alpha Nichols of New Albany, Indiana. This identification was verified when Robert's son, Phillip Nichols, volunteered a DNA sample, which proved to be a match. Mary Silvani, aka "Washoe County Jane Doe" The body of a woman aged between 25 and 35 years was found by hikers on July 17, 1982, in Sheep Flats, Washoe County, Nevada. The woman had been shot in the back of the head as she was bending over, possibly to tie her shoes. The bullet hole on her head had been covered with men's underwear. The victim wore a light pair of tennis shoes, a sleeveless blue shirt, jeans with a blue bikini bottom in a pocket, and a blue swimsuit underneath. The shirt had been sold at stores in California, Washington, and Oregon. At the victim's autopsy, a vaccination scar was found on her left arm and another on her abdomen. In addition, one of her toenails had a large bruise underneath. Evidence from the style of dental work she had received indicated that she may have lived in Europe at some point during life. This theory has since been disproved. The woman had hazel eyes, was around in height, weighed , and had brown hair tied back in a bun. As possible identities of the decedent, 231 people have been ruled out. During the years when police