A Texas laboratory that specializes in using cutting-edge DNA techniques is working to identify human remains found near Eureka Springs in December 2024.
Othram Inc., based in The Woodlands, Texas, began its advanced DNA testing after the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office contributed the final $5,846.17 necessary to pay for the procedure. Carroll County authorities had been seeking donations to help cover the total expense of $7,500 for testing on the unidentified remains that local authorities are referring to — for now — as “Inspiration Doe.”
“It’s a big help for us and it helped make the process move along a lot faster,” Carroll County Sheriff Daniel Klatt said.
“I established a Cold Case Unit in my office’s Special Investigations Division in June of 2024, and the purpose of that unit is to come alongside local law enforcement agencies and provide assistance when we can,” Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement. “Sometimes that means providing a second set of eyes on a case file. Other times, like in this case, it means providing resources that a local agency might not have access to. Just recently we had a case in Mississippi County where my office was able to pay for advanced DNA testing, and that led to the identification of remains that were found 35 years ago.
“When I heard that the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office was raising money to pay for advanced testing in this case, we didn’t hesitate to get involved,” Griffin’s statement said. “We look forward to getting the results of the testing in the coming weeks and hope that it will bring closure for a family whose loved one has been missing.”
“We’re grateful for the attorney general’s office to come in and help us out,” Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Rogers said. “Funds are scarce in Carroll County and DNA testing is very expensive. It’s a very intensive process and we are just grateful that the attorney general of this state has deemed fit that we’re worthy of these funds and I think he’s correct in that and hopefully we can determine the identification of the missing person found.”
“Cases like this are important because the community needs answers and there is obviously state-wide interest in identifying this person,” said Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer at Othram. “The fact that the Attorney General stepped in to help shows that law enforcement takes cases of unidentified human remains seriously.”
The remains were discovered on Dec. 11, 2024, by an individual walking along their property in rural Eureka Springs. The remains were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, where it was determined that there was a high probability of being able to develop a DNA profile; however, the crime lab was unable to perform the specific procedure necessary to extract the DNA, and the remains were subsequently transferred to Othram.
Klatt confirmed that a skull was among the remains discovered.
“It’s my understanding, and I may have this wrong, but it’s my understanding the test they did was something to do with the teeth, where they were able to go into a specific part of the tooth and extract it, but I’m not positive on the scientific part of that,” Klatt said.
Michael Vogen, director of case management at Othram, said he is confident that the identification should be forthcoming within a few months.
