Body ID will rely on DNA matching

PRESS RELEASE
November 2, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO

The identification of a badly-burned body found in a house on fire in Washington Township, Gloucester County NJ last Friday (10/28) is now expected to take several months as investigators have turned to DNA matching in their efforts to confirm the man’s name.

The male body was found in the living room of a house at 133 Berlin-Cross Keys Road. Fingerprint impressions could not be obtained because of the condition of the body and a forensic dentist did not find a match of the man’s dental impressions with available records. A tattoo of initials on the man has provided one clue as to his possible identity. DNA from the corpse will now be matched against a national database by a laboratory, which is expected to take several months.

The cause of the fire in the long-vacant house, which was known to be frequented by squatters, remains under investigation.