A MS Coast homicide victim has been identified after nearly 40 years. Who is he?
After 40 years, Jackson County sheriff’s investigators have identified the remains of a man found shot to death in the Escatawpa River as Louisiana native Gary Simpson.
The Sheriff’s Department joined forces with the Texas-based Othram, Inc., to help identify the then 20-year-old Simpson as the homicide victim.
The company specializes in forensic genealogy to help authorities resolve unidentified homicide and missing person cases. Simpson’s body was found on Dec. 8, 1982, the same day Jackson County sheriff’s deputies found the body of an unidentified baby long known as Delta Dawn.
Othram assisted Jackson County investigators in first identifying baby Delta Dawn in 2020 — nearly 38 years after her body was discovered — as 18-month Alisha Ann Heinrich.
Heinrich’s mother, Gwendolyn Clemons, 23, was last seen alive at her family’s home in Joplin, Missouri, on Thanksgiving 1982.
Othram used the same forensic genealogy testing to identify a potential relative of Simpson.
From there, retired Jackson County sheriff’s investigator Matt Hoggatt, who now works with Othram, tracked down what turned out to be Simpson’s brother for a DNA test that ultimately resulted in the identity of the remains.
An investigation into Simpson’s shooting death is ongoing. Authorities believe he had already been shot when his body was tossed into the river.
To report information, call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at 228-769-3063 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898 or log on to mscoastcrimestoppers.com and leave a tip.
