Jason Patrick Callahan (April 18, 1976 - June 26, 1995), previously known as "Grateful Doe", was a young adult who was found dead after a car accident in Emporia, Greensville County, Virginia in June 1995.
In early 2015, his case received additional national attention when photos of him surfaced that strongly resembled his reconstructions. Jason was finally identified after nearly a year of waiting, due to the tedious task for law enforcement to transfer DNA information across states.
Case[]
Callahan is believed to have hitchhiked to and from Grateful Dead concerts. The driver of the vehicle, also killed in the crash, was also a fan of the band. The driver was quickly identified and nobody was certain who the John Doe was or where he came from. Among Grateful Doe's possessions was a letter written by "Caroline T" and "Caroline O", addressed to Jason, which is now known to be the unidentified person's name. Neither of the "Caroline"s have been identified.
Photographs surfaced online of a young man, later discovered to be Jason Callahan, who was last seen in 1995. He was also a large fan of Grateful Dead and had the same first name as the victim. Callahan was not reported missing by his mother until after he was identified to be the young man in the photographs.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Jason Callahan on Wikipedia POSTMORTEM WARNING
- Missing Children's Helpline (archived)