The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified an individual recovered on October 18, 1980, as U.S. Army veteran John Davis Webster, resolving a case that remained unidentified for more than 40 years. At the time of the original investigation, personal property recovered with the decedent including a social security card and a Texas Employment Commission card indicating military veteran status suggested a potential identity. However, the available information was insufficient to confirm who the individual was. During a renewed examination of the case, investigators photographed the recovered items and identified faint, faded numbers on the laminated social security card. These numbers appeared to represent a possible date of birth and provided a new investigative lead. This information prompted collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Latent Print Unit, which identified a 1961 military fingerprint card associated with the individual. Investigators also obtained postmortem fingerprints preserved from the original investigation through the Fort Worth Police Department. A comparison conducted by the FBI confirmed a fingerprint match, conclusively identifying the decedent as John Davis Webster. This identification was supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program.
