After 33 Years, Portland Family Learns St. Johns Bridge ‘John Doe’ Was Their Missing Brother

The remains of Bryant Edward Deane, who had not been in contact with his brother since the mid-to-late 1970s, were positively identified after the DNA Doe Project matched the DNA of the brothers this week.

St John’s Bridge John Doe Identified 33 Years Later

Over 30 years ago, Deane’s skeletonized remains were found by workers clearing brush near the St. Johns Bridge in North Portland. Deane was believed to have been about 39 years old at the time of his death.

Local law enforcement had conducted a death investigation. A forensic pathologist and forensic anthropologist attached to the Oregon Medical Examiner’s (ME) office had examined the bones at the time.

They determined the decedent was likely a white male, close to 50 years old, and about 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-5 in height.

The ME’s office said arthritic changes, several fractures, and a marked difference in leg length suggested the man walked with a limp. It was estimated he had been dead for about a year before discovery. Brown hair was found near the remains. A dental examination showed evidence of restorations.

Deane’s clothing included a maroon fleece-lined jacket, dark denim pants, MacGregor brand ankle boots, and gray and brown cotton gloves on both hands, suggesting he died in winter.

As these fractures were more pronounced on his left side, it appears that Deane may have fallen from the bridge or been struck by a vehicle and thrown from the bridge.

The cause and manner of death remained undetermined for over thirty years, and there were no leads on the man’s identity, so the case went cold. Some progress was made over the years, but the case only advanced significantly with developments in genetic genealogy.

After the ME’s Office partnered with the DNA Doe Project, Astrea Forensics produced a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profile, which was uploaded to the FamilyTreeDNA database to find additional matches in March 2025.

In August, volunteers who narrowed down a match by researching family records, old newspaper clippings, and other sources identified a potential match and possible relatives to contact.

Subsequently, the ME’s office reached out to a presumed brother who agreed to provide a DNA sample for comparison. The remains of Bryant Edward Deane, born Aug. 2, 1952, were positively identified, and Deane’s next of kin was notified.

Hailey Collord-Stalder, forensic anthropologist with the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, confirmed that Bryant’s parents passed in 2017 and 2019, respectively, never knowing what happened to their son. Collord-Stalder said, “His family left a space for him on their headstone; now he can finally be laid to rest with his family.”