After three decades, a skeleton found in a Wisconsin chimney has been identified

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The skeleton of a man that became colloquially known as “Chimney Doe” have been identified nearly 35 years after remains were found in a chimney at a Wisconsin music store, police and DNA researchers said this week.

But another mystery - that of how the man died and why he was lodged behind a wall - is still yet to be solved.

In September 1989, the owners of the Good ‘n Loud Music store in Madison, Wisconsin, discovered a human skull that was seen through a pipe connecting the boiler to the chimney, according to the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit organization that aims to help identify remains through investigative genetic genealogy. On Monday, the organization and the Madison Police Department identified the skeletal remains as Ronnie Joe Kirk, a man from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported on Sept. 7, 1989, that the remains were found earlier that week during a “routine boiler maintenance." Police worked with a construction crew the next day to uncover the lower part of the building’s chimney and retrieve the skeletal remains.

At the time, authorities' two theories were that the man was either murdered and dumped in the chimney or he was a burglar who got stuck, according to the Milwaukee Journal article.

"This identification is just the first major step in the investigation," Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes said during a news conference. "Now, we start the process of trying to figure out who Ronnie was and how he ended up in Madison."

Who was in the chimney at the Wisconsin music store?

Kirk's skeleton was originall "thought to be wearing feminine clothing" and an iron cross necklace, Barnes said.

But in a summary of the case on its website, DNA Doe Project Co-Team Leader Megan Pasika said the clothing, which was identified as a dress, was mislabeled. "We have found no further evidence to suggest Ronnie ever identified as anything but male,” Pasika said.

No identification was found but a forensic autopsy determined that the remains were of a white male between the ages of 18 and 35, according to Barnes. The DNA Doe Project also said the skeleton was 5 feet 7 inches tall.

The case remained unsolved for decades, Barnes said. Authorities were unsuccessful in identifying the remains, which they dubbed as “Chimney Doe.”

In 2012, the Milwaukee Journal reported that experts at the Smithsonian Institution sculpted a reconstruction of the body's face in 1990. A woman also told police she believed the face resembled a former Capitol page and Madison police investigated the tip in 2012.

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How was the skeleton identified?

Barnes said Lindsey Ludden – the current detective on the case – reached out to the DNA Doe Project in 2019 to "see if advancements in DNA technology and (genetic) genealogy" could help identify Kirk’s remains.

“It would take more than two years to develop a DNA profile suitable for investigative genetic genealogy,” Gwen Knapp, a case manager with the DNA Doe Project, said at the news conference.

A forensics laboratory in Santa Cruz, California, was able to extract sufficient DNA from rootless hair to develop Kirk's profile, according to Knapp. The genetic profile was then uploaded to two databases used for investigative genetic genealogy.

"Genealogy began in August of 2022," Knapp added. "It would take about six months of genealogy work to identify Ronnie Joe Kirk."

Kirk was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1942 and was adopted, according to Barnes. He was raised by family members and attended high school in Tulsa.

He later married and divorced twice in addition to having children, Barnes said. Kirk also had ties to Missouri, Texas, Alabama, and Wisconsin — where his remains were found.

“In Kirk’s case, the project’s expertise shed light on his origins and paved the way for closure in a long-standing mystery,” the DNA Doe Project's website reads. “Ronnie Joe Kirk, who had been adopted, presented a unique challenge in tracing his familial connections.”

How did the skeleton get in the chimney?

Authorities are still investigating why Kirk was in Madison and how his remains ended up in the chimney, according to Barnes. The DNA Doe Project has noted that there was no way for someone to have gotten into the pipe from within the building.

The Doe Network, a nonprofit volunteer organization that aims to solve John/Jane Doe cases, said on its website that authorities believed it was unlikely Kirk voluntarily entered the chimney, and speculated that he may have been a burglar and became stuck before dying. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that Steve Liethen, the former owner of the building and music store, said he didn’t believe the death was burglary-related.

Another theory is that Kirk was a murder victim and was hidden in the chimney pipe. An autopsy of the bones showed that the pelvic bones were severely fractured and appeared to have been caused when he died, according to The Doe Network.

"Some speculate the injuries were inflicted by the killer stomping on this portion of the victim's body," the organization said.

Use of genetic genealogy

Genetic genealogy creates family history profiles, which can determine biological relationships between individuals, according to the Library of Congress. The technique uses DNA test results and traditional genealogical methods.

Genetic genealogy has become popular in recent years among the general public and has also emerged as a central tool in the field of cold case investigations, according to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education.

"Cases that were considered 'cold', are now being relooked at. Families of missing persons may finally have answers to what happened to their loved ones," the center said.

Experts have said technological improvements have made it easier to develop DNA profiles from smaller amounts of biological evidence. Law enforcement agencies are able to enter DNA samples collected from cases into a national database to find a match.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY