The Lancaster County coroner’s office identified the skeletal remains of a man who was found in a wooded area more than a decade ago using genetic genealogy.
The new technology helped to finally provide a name and some closure to the family of Mitchell L. Mendelson, 60, of Elizabethtown, according to a news release from the coroner’s office sent Monday. But some mysteries remain, including his cause and manner of death. Both are still listed as undetermined.
Mendelson retired from Red Rose Transit Authority, where he was a bus driver. He had moved from Lancaster City to Elizabethtown in 2011. His hobbies included walking, cooking and listening to music, Bieber said.
It’s unclear when Mendelson was last seen alive. But his remains were found in a wooded area at Masonic Village retirement community in West Donegal Township on Nov. 2, 2012.
Deputy Coroner Eric Bieber said an initial DNA extraction was done in 2013, followed by a skeletal analysis by a forensic anthropologist. But it wasn’t until last year when genetic genealogy was employed, which led to Mendelson being identified on Nov. 4.
The FBI also finished a facial sketch that was circulated by the coroner’s office and through local media by using Mendelson’s skull, Bieber said. His next of kin have been notified.
“This case highlights the difficulty in working cold cases and the considerable efforts taken to identify and return unclaimed and unidentified persons back to their loved ones,” said Bieber.” To determine how long the skeletal remains were in the woods, a forensic entomologist was used during the recovery of the remains.”