A skull found in the Big Branch Wildlife Refuge almost seven years has been identified - but there's still a mystery surrounding the person it belongs to.
If you knew Garry Maggio, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner wants to hear from you.
After many hours of work and thousands of dollars, Dr. Christopher Tape finally has at least partial answers about the skull, but he's trying to learn more.
When the remains were found in the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 10, 2017, there were many questions – and not much to go on. Sheriff’s Office and Coroner’s Office personnel searched the surrounding area, joined by volunteers and search dogs, but turned up no additional clues.
The Coroner’s Office then sent the remains to the Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Lab at LSU a few days after its discovery, but the missing jawbone prevented proper reconstruction of the face to create an image of what the decedent might have looked like. FACES did determine the skull belonged to a Caucasian adult male at least 25 years old.
As technology progressed, last year the Coroner submitted DNA from the skull to the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but there were no matches to known missing persons or convicted criminals.
Last March, the agency sent DNA to a private lab that produced a Genetic Genealogy Profile, suggesting the decedent was of European and Middle Eastern Descent. Last month, the Coroner was informed that the private lab had found a genetic match in the western United States, and Cold Case Investigator Chris Knoblauch made contact with the woman. She confirmed that she had an uncle who had lived in Louisiana, but who had not been heard from since 2016. A DNA reference sample she provided confirmed the decedent was her uncle.
Gary A. Maggio, a military veteran and resident of the Slidell area, had never been reported missing – but John Doe’s skull finally has a name.
“The cause and manner of death still remain undetermined, as there was no sign of trauma on the skull,” Tape said. “That the skull was the only bit of remains found is not necessarily indicative of criminal wrongdoing – nor even of suicide – as the marsh area is subject to tidal influence. The skull could have been deposited there during a surge, or other remains could have been washed away, or taken away by animal activity. Without further information, we will never know.
“What we do know is that thanks to diligent efforts by our investigators and the support of St. Tammany taxpayers, Mr. Maggio can have a more dignified end,” Tape said. “He is no longer ‘John Doe,’ he is no longer a bone on a shelf, but is now a life to be celebrated and commemorated.”
Tape and Knoblauch said some lessons of this case are that citizens should always report family members missing, and preserve their DNA – from combs, toothbrushes, etc. – to be stored in national databases. In such unfortunate cases, that information can help more quickly identify discovered human remains.
From Maggio’s niece, Knoblauch learned that Maggio was an avid outdoorsman and camper, so his presence in the wildlife refuge is not suspicious on its face. He was born in 1949, and is believed to have been 67 when he died.
“For now, we can give some measure of closure to Mr. Maggio’s survivors, who never knew what became of him,” Tape said. “With fresh public input, we might also glean more information to determine how and under what circumstances he perished.”
Anyone with information about Maggio’s last days or demise is asked to call Knoblauch at 985-781-1150.
