Medical Examiner Announces the Identification of Longest Cold Case
Published on February 11, 2026
Allegheny County Medical Examiner Announces the Identification of Longest Cold Case of an Unknown Decedent
Identity of the Decedent from a 1992 Homicide was Unknown Until Now
PITTSBURGH – In 1992, the body of an unknown male was discovered by Pittsburgh Police officers on patrol and recovered by River Rescue between the 9th and 6th Street Bridges on the Allegheny River after receiving a 9-1-1 call from a witness to an assault. The autopsy completed by the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner (then the Coroner’s Office) showed signs of blunt force trauma to the head, but the victim ultimately drown.
The Pittsburgh Police arrested Arthur Wiley, who was tried and convicted of third-degree murder in 1993. Mr. Wiley has since served his sentence. But the identity of the victim remained unknown. The autopsy showed he was a white man, about 5’11’’ tall and weighed 175 lbs. He was believed to be itinerant with no known address and was traveling around Pittsburgh and the region.
Since 1992, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner has continued to investigate identifying this decedent, known as John Doe, along with other cold cases, in hopes of one day identifying them. Thanks to a grant of $100,000 provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Medical Examiner’s Office was able to partner with Othram in 2024 on more than a dozen area cases.
Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile using available DNA from the decedent and Othram’s genealogy report narrowed down possible matching individuals. Investigators from the Medical Examiner’s Office were then able to contact potential family members and obtain a DNA sample from a living relative. Finally, Othram was able to confirm the identity of the victim: Allan Keener.
Mr. Keener was born February 5, 1940, and was originally from Kentucky. The case of Mr. Keener was the oldest case of unknown remains at the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner.
Mandy Tinkey, Laboratory Director at the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner, said: “We never give up on our cases. I am thrilled that after decades of looking into leads and trying new technologies, we are able to finally identify Mr. Keener as the decedent from the 1992 homicide. This brings closure to a family that never knew what happened to their loved one. Many thanks to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police who still brought charges in 1992 even when we didn’t know the identification of the victim and a huge thank you to Othram for providing the technology that made this connection. We have more than a dozen cold cases we are still looking to identify. We hope this partnership can bring forward other identifications that bring dignity and closure to our unknown remains.”
"As long as there is DNA, it doesn't matter how old a case is, or whether it seemed hopeless in the past, there is technology here today that works and is able to bring answers to families," said Kristen Mittelman, Chief Development Officer for Othram, the company that analyzed the DNA. "Our hearts go out to this man's family for what they've been through, especially because we now live in a world where we're able to identify people immediately and families don't have to wait."
Chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Jason Lando said: "This breakthrough in identifying Mr. Keener after more than 30 years is testament to the work that our homicide detectives do every day. Pittsburgh Police detectives never give up on unsolved cases. Homicide Detective George Satler pinpointed this cold case as one that could benefit from the application of genetic genealogy to determine the identity of a man who was nameless for far too long. By utilizing new technologies such as these, our hope is to continue to give the families of crime victims the much-needed answers they have waited for and deserve."
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