Remains of an accused murderer who escaped from jail more than 100 years ago just identified
CLARK COUNTY, Idaho —
Bones discovered in an Idaho cave in 1979 and 1991 have been identified as the remains of Joseph Henry Loveless,
(a man who escaped from prison) more than a century ago after being arrested for killing his wife. The identification, confirmed by the Clark County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, was initially made by non-profit volunteer organization DNA Doe Project, which said in a Facebook post that the "remains were preserved in the Buffalo Cave for as long as 63 years."
Loveless likely died around 1916 when he was 46 years old, the organization said. He appears to have been killed and dismembered. Before his death, Loveless had been arrested at least twice for bootlegging and escaped custody by sawing through jail bars, the organization said. Around that time Clark County Sheriff Bart May said Loveless killed his wife with an ax and was incarcerated in what was then Freemont County.
"Back in 1916, it was the wild West up here, and most likely, the locals took care of the problem," May said. "We'll probably never solve the homicide, but we still encourage anyone who has heard stories to contact our office, you never know what piece of information could help."
DNA Doe Project had to overcome numerous hurdles before making a positive identification. Loveless used multiple aliases, had no close living relatives in the national database and was an off-the-grid outlaw who lacked official records. The volunteers sifted through more than 31,730 individuals trying to find a connection to the man's DNA.
more:
https://www.koat.com/article/remains-of-an-accused-murderer-who-escaped-from-jail-more-than-100-years-ago-just-identified/30372051
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