SKELETAL REMAINS BELONG TO LOCAL HOMELESS MAN

SKELETAL REMAINS FOUND ALONG A PATH IN
CARROLL COUNTY BELONG TO LOCAL HOMELESS MAN

(Westminster, MD) -- Maryland State Police investigators identify skeletal remains found on October 6, 2012, along a path in a vacant lot in Carroll County, Md.

The man has been identified as Thomas E. Linhan, 67, no fixed address. An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed no apparent trauma. There was no evidence of foul play.

The skeletal remains, now identified as Linhan, were found shortly before noon on October 6, 2012, as citizens walked through a vacant lot in the 500 block of Baltimore Boulevard in Westminster, Maryland. There was no identification located with the remains. All remains were processed and recovered at the scene by forensic investigator and crime scene technicians. The skeletal remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an examination and autopsy.

Maryland State Police Homicide investigators were contacted by Westminster Police Department and assumed the investigation. Information was communicated to police departments throughout the region and requests were made to check missing person files for potential matches based on the available information. Additional forensic tests were conducted.

After an exhausting search, investigators contacted the Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster and obtain x-rays of a local homeless man. A detailed comparison of the x-rays and the remains lead to a positive identification of Linhan. The comparison was conducted by Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Investigators are still attempting to locate Linhan’s next of kin. Anyone who may have information is urged to contact Maryland State Police investigators immediately at 410-386-3000

Submitted:
Maryland State Police