After 20 yrs. Jason Callahan aka: 'Grateful Doe' finally identified

[Esau.]

http://wpde.com/news/local/grateful-doe-identified-as-missing-myrtle-beach-man

 

 

 

A missing Myrtle Beach man who came to be known as Grateful Doe and went missing in Virginia in 1995 has been identified.

According to family, they got the call today that through DNA evidence the person killed in Virginia in a car wreck was their son Jason Callahan.

The family, however, did not want to comment any further on the matter.

A lab at the University of North Texas helped process some of the DNA samples in order to make the association, according to J. Todd Matthews, director of case management and communications with The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

He's called Grateful Doe, because he was wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt and had two tickets to their show in his pants pocket the day he died.

No one claimed his body, and police in Virginia have been trying to solve the case ever since.

In January, a Myrtle Beach woman filed a missing persons report for her son Jason Callahan.
Related: Myrtle Beach police opening investigation into "Grateful Doe"

According to police, Callahan has not been seen or heard from since June of 1995 when he left to follow the band The Grateful Dead.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, Callahan died from acute head injuries. His death was ruled an accident.

[Hartamophone]

Wow. I fell down the rabbit hole of this story every time it would bubble to the surface on one message board or another over the years, but I can't say I ever held out much hope that it would be solved. Hopefully this brings peace to someone, somewhere who knew and maybe missed this kid.