Executive Summary
- Bryant Keith Bates, missing since November 1988, has been identified as the victim found in a South East Lake crawl space in 2004.
- The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head, and the case is now being investigated as a homicide.
- Traditional DNA testing via CODIS failed to find a match in 2018.
- Forensic Genetic Genealogy provided by Othram, Inc. in 2025 supplied the leads necessary to locate Bates’ family for confirmatory testing.
Jefferson County authorities have positively identified human remains discovered in 2004 as Bryant Keith Bates, a Birmingham man who disappeared in 1988, utilizing advanced forensic genetic genealogy to reclassify the cold case as an active homicide investigation. The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identification in February 2026 following a breakthrough in DNA analysis.
According to the Birmingham Police Department (BPD), Bates, then 21, was last seen alive on November 15, 1988, leaving his family home in North East Lake. Family members reported him missing after he failed to return from a friend’s funeral. Investigators noted that early concerns regarding foul play were present, but the case went cold for nearly two decades without physical evidence.
On November 22, 2004, an exterminator working at a rental property in South East Lake discovered skeletal remains inside a coal bin located in the home’s crawl space. The Coroner’s Office reported that forensic pathologists and anthropologists determined the remains belonged to an African American male between the ages of 17 and 30. Recovered items, including plaid pants, argyle socks, a gold chain, and a Coca-Cola brand watch, matched the description of the clothing Bates was wearing when he vanished. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head, ruling the manner of death as homicide.
Despite the recovery of remains, identification proved elusive for another decade. Authorities entered the case into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in 2015, but found no matches. In 2018, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) generated a DNA profile which was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), yet no hits were generated.
The breakthrough occurred after a bone sample was submitted to Othram, Inc. for Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) in March 2025. Othram analysts developed a DNA profile that allowed genealogists to trace familial lines, providing specific leads to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. In February 2026, UNTCHI performed confirmatory DNA testing against Bates’ immediate family members, conclusively identifying the victim.
Investigative Outlook
The positive identification of Bryant Keith Bates fundamentally alters the trajectory of this 38-year-old case, shifting the status from a missing person inquiry to a confirmed homicide investigation. With the victim’s identity established, law enforcement can now re-examine Bates’ known associates and movements from 1988 with greater precision. This case underscores the critical role of private forensic laboratories and genetic genealogy in resolving cases that predate modern DNA databases, potentially offering a roadmap for clearing the backlog of unidentified remains in Alabama.
