Skeletal Remains Identified As Missing Man After DNA Testing Breakthrough

On Nov. 11, 2025 the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed that skeletal remains recovered on Jan. 29, 2016 in a wooded area off University Point Boulevard have been identified as Kenneth McCarthy, a New Jersey native who had been living in Charlotte when he disappeared. Initial examinations in 2016 could only establish that the remains were male and found no obvious signs of foul play. Conventional identification methods were unsuccessful at the time.

In 2022 investigators submitted a sample to Othram Labs for advanced DNA analysis. Subsequent genetic research produced a lead to a close relative and culminated in a positive identification in 2025. Police said the investigation is active and ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact CMPD tips at 704 432 8477 or Crime Stoppers at 704 334 1600.

The case highlights both the promise and the procedural questions surrounding forensic genetic genealogy, a technique that has become more prominent in solving cold cases. Private laboratories such as Othram provide specialized sequencing and analysis that many municipal forensic units cannot perform in house. That capability has brought names to unidentified remains and reopened investigations that had stalled, but it has also renewed debate about oversight, data privacy, consent for familial searching, and the standards governing private vendor work for law enforcement.

For local residents the identification offers closure for a family and a reminder that unsolved cases can be revisited as technology advances. It also points to institutional decisions about funding and priorities for cold case units, evidence preservation, and partnerships with external laboratories. The nine year interval between discovery and identification underscores resource limits that can delay resolution, and it may prompt calls for clearer policies on how and when advanced genetic methods are deployed.

The CMPD identification will likely prompt further investigative steps as detectives seek to determine the circumstances of McCarthy's disappearance and death. For the surrounding community there are practical consequences. Neighbors may seek updates on public safety, city officials could face questions about support for forensic capacity, and community groups that advocate for victims may press for transparency about investigative timelines and vendor contracts.

As genetic genealogy becomes a routine option for cold cases, municipal leaders, law enforcement agencies, and the public face choices about balancing investigative effectiveness with privacy protections and accountability. The CMPD is asking anyone with information relevant to this case to call CMPD tips at 704 432 8477 or Crime Stoppers at 704 334 1600.