Update! Identified – Who Is John Fairfax Doe 1972? Carl Matthew Bryant

Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau Cold Case Squad have solved the mystery of a child found deceased in 1972 in Massey Creek, under the Old Colchester Bridge in Lorton. The child has been identified as Carl Matthew Bryant. The identification was made possible through advanced DNA testing and forensic-grade genome sequencing provided by Astrea Forensics.

Astrea Forensics developed a DNA profile suitable for genetic genealogy, which Innovative Forensic Investigations used to identify a possible relative of John Doe. After extensive research and calls, detectives traced John Doe’s family to Philadelphia, PA. With help from the Philadelphia Police Department, they contacted a relative who led them to John Doe’s mother, Vera Bryant. Bryant died in 1980, and a family member said she had two sons, Carl and James, and planned to travel from Philadelphia to Virginia in 1972. Vera’s body was exhumed, and DNA submitted to Astrea Forensics confirmed a match.

Discovery and Initial Investigation

On June 13, 1972, the body of a young boy was found in Massey Creek under the Old Colchester Road Bridge in Lorton. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, ruling the death a homicide. With no immediate leads, a local church group gave the unidentified child the name “Charles Lee Charlet” and arranged for his burial at Coleman Cemetery in Alexandria, VA. The case remained unsolved for over 50 years.

Breakthroughs and DNA Technology

2003: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) created a computer-generated sketch. Several tips came in but yielded no viable leads.

Above is a map of the route James Hedgepeth and Vera Bryant possibly drove when traveling to Virginia. The whereabouts of James Bryant (6 months old) are unknown, and he is presumed dead. Detectives believe James’ body could have been discarded somewhere along this route.

A Collaborative Effort

This case could not have been solved without the tireless dedication and partnership of multiple organizations across jurisdictions. The Fairfax County Police Department would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the following agencies and individuals for their crucial roles in bringing closure to this decades-old case:

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
• Astrea Forensics

• Innovative Forensic Investigations (IFI)
• Philadelphia Police Department
• Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office
• Office of the District Attorney, City of Philadelphia
• George Mason University
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Greenmount Cemetery, Philadelphia
• Jones Funeral Home, Philadelphia
• Coleman Cemetery, Alexandria, VA
• The Bryant Family

Detectives are asking for the public’s help. If you remember this family, or if any law enforcement agency has recovered or documented unidentified infant remains from the 1970s, especially in Virginia or the Philadelphia area, please call our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 2. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web Click HERE. Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers.” Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you.  

Victim specialists from our Major Crimes Bureau’s Victim Services Division have been assigned to ensure the victim’s family is receiving appropriate resources and assistance. 

Carl Matthew Bryant
Date of Birth: May 26, 1968
Date of Discovery: June 13, 1972
Location of Discovery: Lorton, Fairfax County, Virginia
Estimated Date of Death: June 10-12, 1972
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide by beating
Estimated Age: 3-6 years old
Race / Ethnicity: Black
Sex: Male
Height: 4’0″
Weight: 50 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Circumcised

A Little About The ‘Tyrone’ Doe Case:
On June 13, 1972, a 14-year-old boy was pushing his bicycle to a nearby gas station on a country road to put air in his tire when he came across the body of a brutally beaten little boy in a creek. More than 50 years later, police have no identity for this dead child nor have they found his killer. But their search continues. “There is always hope,” Fairfax County police Officer Shelley Broderick said. Police have taken DNA samples and placed them in the FBI’s National Missing Person DNA Database, and recently produced a lifelike photo of the boy in the hopes that someone will recognize his face and come forward with information that could help solve this case. The child was found in Massey Creek on Old Colchester Road just off of Interstate 95 and not far from Fort Belvoir.

Police believe the boy was between 3 and 6 years old. He was about 4 feet tall and 50 pounds. He had suffered blunt force trauma injuries to the head and abrasions, and was stripped naked, but police found no evidence that he was sexually abused. They did, however, find scars from past physical abuse. The autopsy found that the boy had a full stomach, indicating that he probably ate breakfast that morning, perhaps at one of the nearby restaurants along I-95, police said. At the time of his death, police checked teletypes for missing children up and down the East Coast, but none matched the description of the boy found in Massey Creek. The Alexandria-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children created a computer-assisted facial reconstruction of the child, one of the first attempts by the organization to use the new technology. A forensic artist used pictures taken by police, and knowing the changes that occur immediately after death — the facial muscles relax, the face flattens out and the eyes go blank — tried to restore him with “that spark of life,” said Jerry Nance, supervisor of the forensic services unit at NCMEC.

“Unfortunately, this is a very old case, one of our oldest, but there’s the off chance that a grandmother may remember the face or someone sees his picture and says, ‘That’s my cousin,’ ” Nance said. “We still keep looking.”

If you have any information about his case please contact:

Fairfax County Police Cold Case Unit: 800-673-2777
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Source Information:
NCMEC – John Fairfax Doe 1972 – Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP10859
The Doe Network – Case File 461UMVA

**There are some theories out there that John Fairfax Doe 1972 is possibly Solomon Gomile Rose III. Solomon was abducted on April 1, 1972 from Baltimore, Maryland (just approximately an hour from Lorton, Virginia). This theory has been discounted.**