Remains Found in Woods Identified as Man Missing for Over 20 Years

Human remains found in a wooded area five years ago have been identified as a man who had not been seen by his family for more than two decades.

The remains were found in a wooded area near a residence by Overbrook Drive in Knoxville on May 20, 2020, according to a news release shared by the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.

After the discovery, the remains were “transported to the Regional Forensic Center for an examination by a forensic pathologist.”

Initially, the remains were determined to belong to a man between the ages of 55 and 70, but his cause and manner of death were not determined. “All conventional means of forensic identification failed to yield the man’s identity,” the forensic center said.

In 2023, a sample of DNA from the remains was submitted to Othram, a private lab in Texas known for using forensic genetic genealogical DNA testing to identify human remains.

In August 2025, the forensic center said Othram scientists notified them that “they had developed information about possible relatives connected to the man in Michigan.”

Family members provided DNA for comparison, and scientists with Othram were able to identify the man as Gerald J. Forsman, originally from Livonia, Mich. 

One person who was contacted by death investigators said they had not seen the man in 22 years, according to the forensic center.

Forsman was born on Feb. 27, 1958, meaning he was likely 45 years old when he disappeared.

Public records showed Forsman lived in Knoxville at the time of his disappearance, though it is unclear why he vanished, according to Othram.

“The Knox County Regional Forensic center is grateful to all the agencies listed that assisted in identifying Mr. Forsman,” the forensic center said in a statement.

The forensic genetic genealogical testing involved in this case “was made possible as a result of U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett’s 2024 Community Project Funding request through the Bureau of Justice Assistance,” according to the forensic center.

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This is the eighth cold case solved from this initiative, they added.

This is also the 26th case in Tennessee “where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram,” according to the company.