John Frisch

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John Frisch
Name	John H. Frisch Jr.
Sex	Male
Age	56
Missing from	Hawaii Peoria, Illinois
Discovered	November 13, 2016 (torso) June 12, 2017 (head)
Location	Peoria County, Illinois
Identified	c. January 2020
Span	3 years
Cause of death	Beating

John H. Frisch Jr. was a man whose torso was initially recovered from the Illinois River on November 13, 2016, in Peoria County. On June 12, 2017, his skull was also recovered from the Illinois River.

He underwent testing by the DNA Doe Project. His identity was announced on January 28, 2020.

Background

In January 2002, Frisch was charged with attempted murder after beating a man in the state of Aloha, Hawaii. The man was hospitalized, but later died from his injuries in February. In September, Frisch was charged with murder but only served one year in jail on a lesser charge.

Frisch had addresses in Hawaii and Peoria, Illinois. He was never reported missing as his parents are deceased and he had few family members in the Peoria area.

Case

A torso was discovered in the Illinois River on November 13, 2016. Later on June 12, 2017, a skull was also discovered in the Illinois River.

The cause of death was blunt force trauma and the body had been dismembered before being placed into the river.

Identification

The case was taken on by the DNA Doe Project. Through forensic genealogy, they were able to identify several strong candidates. After obtaining Frisch's dental records from Hawaii, investigators were able to confirm the identity.

Gallery

Reconstruction

Sources

• John Frisch at the DNA Doe Project
• John Frisch at Find a Grave
• Heart of Illinois ABC
• WCBU.org
• Journal Star