Officials have identified the man whose skeletal remains were found last year inside a car in a wooded area off of Mississippi 589 in Hattiesburg.
Lamar County Coroner Blake Matherne said through a coordinated effort with Othram Labs in the Woodlands, Texas, staff from that company was able to identify the deceased as Daniel Grantham.
Grantham’s remains were found in December 2023, when officials arrived to that scene and discovered a white Nissan Altima with the driver’s door ajar. The remains of the body, which were found in the driver’s seat of the car, were sent to the state medical examiner for further analysis.
Forensic evidence was then sent to Othram, where scientists successfully developed a DNA extract and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for Grantham. That work was funded by the Mississippi Crime State Laboratory, along with a donation by Mississippi native Carla Davis, who is a genetic genealogist.
Matherne, along with Lamar County investigator Steve Pazos, coordinated efforts with a possible family member of Grantham, who contributed a reference DNA sample. That profile was then compared to the evidence, which confirmed Grantham’s identity.
Othram staff also contributed to a local case in February, when they identified the remains of a woman that were found in October 2022 near Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center outside Hattiesburg. Using the aforementioned methods, officials were able to identify the woman as Kimberly Ann Hall.
