An Internet site could be called the last hope for hundreds of “John Does” — nameless people found dead across the U.S., including several in Iowa.The “Doe Network” began several years ago, with the goal of matching up missing persons with unidentified human remains. Spokeswoman Alexis Campbell says those who volunteer their time for the cause come from all walks of life — retired law enforcement, medical examiners, forensic artists, private detectives, authors and people who have either lost a loved one and are looking for a loved one. Among the Iowa cases listed is that of a man who was found in Correctionville in August of 1988. It’s thought he had been dead for at least 15 years. The Doe Network’s database includes information on hundreds of unidentified bodies and thousands of missing persons. Campbell says work by the Doe Network has led to the identification of about half-dozen bodies. She says nobody else is speaking for these people and someone has to do it.Among the group’s database of unknown victims are a number that were found in Iowa. They include a woman whose partially skeletonized remains were found in Lyon County in 1978; a man who was found along a dirt trail in Des Moines in 1984; and a man discovered in-between hay bales on a farm near Decorah in 1986. For more information on the cases, you can find the link at “www.doenetwork.org”.
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