Man Found Dead and Floating Under Bridge Identified Over 20 Years Later

NEED TO KNOW

Authorities said a man's body was discovered floating in the water under the Coast Guard Island Bridge in 2003

The man could not be identified and became known as “Oakland John Doe,”

In 2024, law enforcement submitted evidence to Othram, which later led to the positive identification of Robert Craig Whitsett

The body of a man found floating in the water under a Bay Area bridge 22 years ago has now been identified, authorities said.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said that thanks to DNA testing, the remains discovered in September 2003 were identified as belonging to New York man Robert Craig Whitsett, according to the Sacramento Bee .

Othram , a Texas-based forensic genetic genealogy services company that was involved in Whitsett’s eventual identification, said t