Naming the Dead: National Geographic's New DNA Investigation Series
The DNA Doe Project uses genetic genealogy to solve decades-old cold cases across America
Quick Facts
National Geographic's new six-part docuseries *Naming the Dead* investigates one of America's most sobering mysteries: over 50,000 unidentified bodies remain in the country's morgues and coroner's offices. The series, premiering August 2 on National Geographic and August 3 on Disney+ and Hulu, follows the DNA Doe Project—a nonprofit organization that has cracked over 100 cold cases using innovative genetic genealogy techniques.
Founded in 2017 by physicist Colleen M. Fitzpatrick (who previously worked for NASA) and novelist-genealogist Margaret Press, the DNA Doe Project represents a breakthrough in forensic investigation. Rather than relying solely on traditional detective work, the organization harnesses DNA sequencing, family tree databases like GEDmatch, and meticulous genealogical research to give names and dignity to the forgotten dead.
*Naming the Dead* captures the partnership between the DNA Doe Project and law enforcement agencies across the United States as they work through challenging cold cases. The series emphasizes not just the investigative process, but the profound emotional impact on families who finally learn the identity of a loved one lost decades earlier.
The opening episode, "The Hitchhiker," revisits a case linked to convicted serial killer Larry Eyler, who confessed to murdering more than 20 men across Illinois and Indiana during the 1980s. Newton County Coroner Scott McCord, frustrated after years of failed identification efforts, turns to the DNA Doe Project for help in naming a victim. The final episode, "The Man on Fire," shifts focus to Atlanta, where an unidentified young man burned alive remained a cold case for 28 years before investigators enlisted the DNA Doe Project's expertise.
The docuseries underscores why this work matters: thousands of unidentified remains languish in storage without answers, without closure, and without the possibility of proper burial or commemoration. Families left wondering about missing relatives—some for decades—finally have a path forward through DNA analysis and genealogical detective work.
