The remains of an 84-year-old man have been identified nearly 23 years after they were found off the coast of Maine.
On July 24, 2000, the partially skeletonized remains of Philip Kahn of Las Vegas, Nevada, were discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, 27 miles offshore, near the Grand Manan Banks, according to the Maine medical examiner’s office.
The medical examiner’s office said it has revisited the case over the years and announced Wednesday that it identified the remains as those of Kahn.
Kahn reportedly left Las Vegas and landed in New York City in July 2000. It’s unknown why or how Kahn ended up off the Maine coast.
When Kahn’s remains were located, an autopsy was conducted. At that time, DNA and fingerprints were taken. The fingerprints were submitted to the FBI, and there were no matches. The DNA sample was uploaded into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index (CODIS).
In 2019, the medical examiner’s office contracted with Parabon Nanolabs to analyze the DNA and attempt forensic genealogy. At that time, it was discovered that he was Ashkenazi Jewish, but forensic genealogy did not produce any viable leads.
In March 2022, the medical examiner’s office met with the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services, Deceased Persons Identification Services Division regarding updated technologies available through the FBI. The medical examiner’s office submitted the then-unidentified person’s fingerprints to the FBI in May 2022.
The FBI matched the fingerprints and dental records to Kahn, who was reported missing in Las Vegas in 2000.
Kahn’s next of kin have been notified of the identification.
