Authorities have discovered that the remains of a murder victim, whose bones and remains were found in southwestern Oregon more than 50 years ago, belonged to a WWII veteran.
Coos County Sheriff’s Office discovered that the skeletal remains of a body found in the woods near Bandon in 1972 matched the genetic makeup of Armes Henry Lahti, a U.S. Navy veteran from Astoria, Ore., who served in the military during the conflict.
“This long‑awaited identification reflects years of dedicated work, collaborative science, and advances in modern genetic genealogy. … “This outcome would not be possible without the ongoing cooperation among multiple law enforcement agencies, private scientific partners, and volunteers committed to resolving cold cases,” said state forensic anthropologist Hailey Collord-Stalder in a statement.
The office, in a social media post on July 29, said that opening and re-investigating cold cases “takes an enormous amount of effort and time, presenting a challenge in dedicating active patrol members or detectives who are daily bombarded with calls for service.” They had worked for the last two years with the Oregon Cold Case Collective (OC3)—a group of unpaid volunteers who have a passion for bringing old cases forward using new technology and investigative techniques.
That led to OC3 coordinating with the FBI to run Investigative Genetic Genealogy to trace DNA to find family. That testing began in March 2025, which led OC3 and the FBI to identify the remains as Lahti.
The discovery solves a mystery that spanned over five decades. At the time Lahti’s bones were discovered, authorities knew he had been shot twice in the head in the 1960s, but there was little evidence on the scene for them to investigate aside from some clothes and a set of denture plates.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office had submitted evidence to a DNA profiling laboratory in 2025 in the hopes of solving the case. This led investigators, who coordinated with the FBI, to identify members of Lahti’s family.
Lahti was affectionately known as “Mousy” to his family, even though relatives described him as “a large, gentle man who loved the sea and was proud of his service to his country.”
Similar Cases
Lahti’s identification follows other similar cases of missing veterans and unidentified bodies.
A Buffalo Soldier from New Haven, Conn., who disappeared during the Allied push through northern Italy in 1944, was identified and buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced in April.
“After taking care of this unknown soldier for all of these years, it was a profound honor to be able to place a rosette by his name knowing he has been identified and returned home to his family,” Eryth Zecher, Florence American Cemetery superintendent, said in remarks provided to U.S. Army Garrison Italy at the time.
Meanwhile, in March, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed the identity of a World War II Marine Raider from Cincinnati, Ohio, who went missing during a brutal jungle assault in the Solomon Islands 83 years ago.
The DPAA announced on March 4 that Pfc. Norton V. Retzsch, 25, of Cincinnati, was accounted for on April 1, 2025. The agency used dental records, anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA sequencing to confirm his identity, finally bringing closure for a family that has waited decades for answers. He was buried on April 13 in Marana, Ariz.
In Lahti’s case, the sheriff’s office was unable to find out the full circumstances surrounding his death. But said they had learned he was involved in a dispute at a bar before he disappeared. They estimated that the dispute took place in 1965.
The sheriff’s office is now calling for further information, saying on social media: “While the case is as old as 60 years ago, we would like to bring justice to Armes and his family.”
Anyone with information is asked to call (541) 396-7800 and to leave a message for Special Deputy Fabrizio.
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