TAMPA, Fla. — A man found dead in 1995 in Tampa has been identified after nearly 30 years.
On April 29, 1995, Hillsborough County deputies discovered a man's body in a tent in "advanced stages of decomposition" on the corner of Bearss Avenue and Interstate 275.
Investigators at the time said the man died of natural causes but were not able to identify him.
The case remained unsolved for decades until cold case detectives began working with Othram Labs in May 2023.
10 Tampa Bay traveled to the Houston-based lab earlier this year to get an exclusive look at its state-of-the-art forensic genealogy testing.
In April 2024, Othram provided substantial leads in the cold case and a possible name of Christopher Mammana.
According to detectives, Mammana was born in 1918 and moved to Florida in the early 1990s after his wife, Connie, died. It was around that time that his digital footprint disappeared.
Investigators also confirmed that Mammana had a headstone in Easton, Pennsylvania, but there were no records of him being buried in the plot.
After tracking down family members and getting voluntary DNA samples, cold case detectives confirmed the remains as belonging to Christopher "Charlie" Mammana on Aug. 23, 2024.
"Advances in technology have allowed detectives to decode what was previously thought to be unsolvable cold cases. Despite the challenging circumstances and the lack of initial leads, the Cold Case Unit detectives persevered, determined to bring closure to this case," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "To be able to identify someone that died nearly 30 years ago speaks to the commitment of our Cold Case Unit."