A long-standing Fairfax County missing persons case has finally been solved. Clearwater Police Department posted on June 2 that a body found on a Florida beach on November 29, 1993, had been identified as Edman Eric Gleed. Two days before the body was found, Gleed’s son had reported him missing in Fairfax County. It is not known how or why Gleed, who was 84 at the time of his death, traveled to Florida.
Clearwater Police said Gleed’s body was found “near the east side of the bridge leading to Sand Key. A neatly folded pile of clothing was found on the shoreline near a lifeguard stand on Clearwater Beach, but there was no identification among the clothing or on the body. An autopsy was inconclusive in the manner and cause of death, but foul play was not suspected.”
More than three decades later, to help identify the body, Clearwater Police detectives collaborated with Moxxy Forensic Investigations. The Texas-based nonprofit provides investigative genealogy services.
After DNA samples were submitted for testing, the Moxxy team worked for months on genealogical analysis. The next of kin, a son of the candidate, was eventually contacted, and a DNA sample was collected. When it was compared to the profile of the unidentified man, the team determined that the relationship between the two was that of parent and child.
On June 2, Clearwater Police detectives spoke with Gleed’s son, who is 94 and now lives in North Carolina. “We are happy that we are able to provide the family some answers and some closure as to what happened with their loved one,” said Michael Walek, deputy chief for Clearwater Police. “And we’re grateful to the medical examiner’s office and Moxxy Forensic Investigations for helping us get those answers.”
Feature image courtesy Clearwater Police Department/Facebook
