Partially dismembered human remains found in 1979 in a Chicago suburb have been identified through DNA and forensic genealogy as those of a man who was 27 when he vanished, authorities said.
Barrington Hills police announced Wednesday the remains are those of Joseph A. Caliva. He vanished in August 1979, the same month a boy who was horseback riding found the remains in the village about 40 miles northwest of Chicago.
Authorities were unable to identify the man, who had been decapitated, burned and was missing his arms. But last year, Barrington Hills police sent items containing genetic material to Othram, a Texas-based genetic genealogy company that specializes in forensic DNA work.
After company scientists successfully extracted enough DNA to build a genetic profile, genetic genealogists built a family tree using genetic databases with public profiles to trace the man's relatives, said Michael Voegn, Othram's director of account management.
Linda Gressick, who was identified as a relative, submitted her DNA to Othram and the results determined that she was Caliva's half-sister.
Gressick shared that her family's roots are in Chicago, and her half-brother, a former Marine, went missing at the age of 27 while working for Chicago's Streets and Sanitation department back in August 1979. She expressed that the confirmation of the remains being his has brought some closure, but now she is eager to uncover the truth behind his disappearance.
"It's a very unsettling feeling," Gressick shared with WGN-TV. "I thought I had come to terms with his absence, and I know closure was the ultimate goal for everyone. However, it feels like there's less closure now that I know the truth. I am hopeful to learn more about what transpired."
The Barrington Hills detectives are urging anyone who may have known Caliva or has any information from the time period of his disappearance to contact them at 847-551-3006 and reference case number 1979-2050.
Authorities mentioned that a crowdfunding effort was initiated to cover the expenses related to the forensic genetic genealogy work conducted by Othram.
