MAN'S REMAINS IDENTIFIED AFTER DOVER FAMILY SEES PHOTOS OF FORENSIC ARTIST'S 3-D FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION

WILMINGTON (July 16, 2014) - A Dover family has made a positive identification of a man whose remains were found in November 2012 in a wooded area in Dover. The identification occurred just weeks after the Delaware Medical Examiner's Office released a Texas forensic artist's three-dimensional facial reconstruction of the man.

The man was identified as Ian Michael Withrow, 33, of the Dover area. The Medical Examiner's Office has ruled his death a suicide.

Withrow's remains were found Nov. 2, 2012, in a wooded area near West Rustic Lane and Crawford Carroll Drive in Dover. After many typical methods of identification were used by the Medical Examiner's Office, Denton County (Texas) Sheriff's Deputy Leslie Willingham, who has hundreds of hours of training in forensic art, contacted the Delaware Medical Examiner's Office in December 2012 to offer her services.

Deputy Willingham's 3-D reconstruction used information that typically is not available, including the victim's tattoos, which were photographed by staff of the ME's Office. On June 30, photos of the reconstruction were released to the public. The family told Dover Police that they recognized the victim after seeing those photos.

Dr. Adrienne Perlman, acting chief medical examiner, credited the work of forensic investigators Michael Price and Patrick Quigley for leading to the identification. "Without their hard work, dedication and refusal to give up, Mr. Withrow would not have been identified," she said.

To view or to download the reconstruction photos, go to: www.flickr.com/photos/deldhss/sets/72157645489931013/

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.