Two Cold Case Victims Identified By DNA Matches

Both cases took place over two decades ago, one in 1986 and the other in 1991

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Daytona Beach, FL - For the longest time, both victims wore the names John Doe and Jane Doe. Now, thanks to DNA matches, the Volusia Sheriff's Office knows who they are.

And that's Howard "Kip" Evans and Doris Regina Chavers.

Evans’ skeletal remains were discovered back on January 18th of 1986, off of Pump House Road near Jones Island Road in Ormond Beach. According to the Sheriff's Office, his remains had been there for an undetermined amount of time. Forensic examination of the skeleton revealed violent trauma, and the death was determined to be a homicide.

Various leads and tips were submitted to law enforcement throughout the investigation, but, the remains were not able to be identified. Therefore, the trail ran cold, earning the remains the name "John Doe 1986."

Between 2006 and 2011, DNA was obtained from the remains and sent to several laboratories for comparison to DNA in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, but there were no matches found. Fast forward another couple of years to 2014, and the Florida Institute of Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science at the University of South Florida was able to make a composite sketch for John Doe.

Last year, VSO's Major Case Unit obtained information regarding social media posts generated in a Missing Persons group. The posts advised that a woman’s son, Howard Evans, had been missing since 1984 and was last known to be in Volusia County. He was about 29 years old at the time he went missing.

Investigators eventually determined that no formal missing person’s report was ever generated for Evans. Since he was also missing for 6 years, his family had him legally declared deceased in 1990. As the follow-up investigation continued, detectives obtained a DNA sample from Evans’ mother, who resided in South Carolina.

Later on, a DNA analysis was performed by the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and the FBI. Then this month, an association was made between the family reference DNA obtained from the mother and the human remains known as John Doe 1986.

Based on this association, a positive identification was made confirming that the human remains were that of Howard Evans.

In the other cold case, VSO says Chavers was 32 years old when she was last seen alive at her mother’s home in Sanford, in August of 1989.

She was reported missing the following year to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

That same year, Volusia deputies responded to a report from two fishermen who found skeletal remains in a heavily wooded area off of Enterprise Osteen Road in Osteen back on August 19th, 1991. Due to the condition of the remains and the technology available, identification was not possible.

The following month, an autopsy determined that the remains were of a female, around her 30s or 40s, and that she had died from violent trauma. Jane Doe 1991’s death was then subsequently ruled a homicide.

While investigation continued, detectives searched multiple databases for any and all means to identify the victim. Soon, the case was entered into an FBI database in an effort to identify her and to generate possible leads. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful and the case went cold.

In August of 2018, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office picked up the investigation into the Chavers missing person case again. Detectives were able to track down Chavers’ biological daughter and obtain a familial DNA reference sample. That DNA sample was subsequently sent to UNTCHI.

Two years later, on January 21st, detectives received a report from UNTCHI that the familial DNA sample collected from Chavers’ biological daughter was a match to the skeletal remains found in Volusia County in 1991.

After receiving the report, Volusia detectives contacted Chavers’ daughter and delivered the news. After learning her mother had been located, she was relieved to finally get some sense of closure; she said she always felt that something terrible must have happened and that her mother would have never just abandoned her.

Despite the positive identifications, the investigations into the homicides of Evans and Chavers continue. Anyone with information about either case is encouraged to contact the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit at 386-254-1537.