Authorities say that DNA testing and forensic genealogy proved that the partially dismembered body parts found in 1979 in a Chicago neighborhood belonged to a man who was 27 years old when he disappeared.
Barrington Hills police stated Wednesday that the remains are those of Joseph A. Caliva. He vanished in August 1979, the same month that a boy riding his horse discovered his remains in a hamlet approximately 40 miles northwest of Chicago.
Authorities were unable to identify the victim, who had been decapitated, burned, and left without arms. Last year, however, Barrington Hills police transferred genetic data to Othram, a Texas-based genetic genealogy organization that specializes in forensic DNA work.
After business scientists retrieved enough DNA to create a genetic profile, genetic genealogists used public genetic databases to trace the man’s relatives, according to Michael Voegn, Othram’s director of account management.
Recognized as a relative, Linda Gressick sent her DNA to Othram, and the results showed that she was Caliva’s half sister.
Gressick stated that her family grew up in Chicago and that her half-brother, a former Marine, was 27 years old and worked for Chicago’s Streets and Sanitation Department when he went missing in August 1979. She stated that knowing the remains are his has brought her some peace, but she now wants to know what happened to him.
“It’s very unsettling,” Gressick told WGN. “I believed I could cope with his absence, and I comprehend that everyone seeks closure.” There seems to be less closure now than there was before I found out. “I hope to learn more about what happened and everything.”
The Barrington Hills police investigation discovered five torsos in Cook County over a 16-month period, including Caliva’s remains, according to WGN.
Barrington Hills detectives are requesting anyone who knew Caliva and remembers anything from the time he disappeared to contact them at 847-551-3006 and reference case number 1979-2050.
The police said they established a crowdfund to pay for Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy study.
