Wisconsin’s John Clinton Doe Received His Real Identity

In 2022, new information altered established theories

A reconstruction of the John Clinton Doe (2014). Edited and colorized by the author. By the FBI from Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain). Background: Rock River Prairie, Rock County, Wisconsin. Edited by the author. By Joshua Mayer from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Early adulthood is one of life’s crossroads. During this period, an uncertain future stretches out into the distance. Choices open or close possibilities. Some, such as the John Clinton Doe, never get to experience these changes, though. Over the decades, investigators have tried to uncover more information about this unsolved death.

A search bends in a direction

On 11 November 1995, a group of deer hunters walked through a wooded area near Bradford, Wisconsin. They stopped when they reached the southern bank of Turtle Creek. A human skeleton lay on the ground.

After investigators arrived, they did an inventory of the items at the scene. The body still wore a shirt of the rock band Venom, a plaid shirt, camouflage pants, and one Nike Air sneaker. A chrome pendant of a horned goat was also present.

Homemade goat pendant found at the scene (2016). By Jack Friess from Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).

The collection of crime scene items also included a Budweiser lighter, an Aquatech wristwatch, and a tube of Carmex lip balm. Experts, after a dental exam and autopsy, estimated the…