Nat Geo’s ‘Naming the Dead’ revisits Larry Eyler’s murder victims | ChicagoNOW
Nat Geo’s new true crime show, Naming the Dead, brings top experts together to help identify the victims of deadly crimes who haven’t been given a name. This week’s episode looks for the victims of Larry Eyler, a serial killer who confessed to the murder of more than 20 men across Illinois and Indiana in the 1980s. Director of DNA Doe Project Jennifer Stone Randolph explains more.
NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. – A powerful new docuseries premiering August 2 on National Geographic takes viewers into the emotional, high-stakes world of forensic genealogy and cold case investigations.
What we know:
Naming the Dead follows the work of the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit that uses cutting-edge DNA technology to identify long-unidentified bodies and bring long-overdue answers to grieving families.
The six-part series opens with a case that hits close to home: a Chicago man who had been missing for decades.
Through months, and in some cases, years, of painstaking genetic investigation, DNA Doe Project volunteers help reveal his identity and the tragic circumstances of his death, leaving his family both stunned and grateful.
At the heart of the series is Jennifer Randolph, Director of the DNA Doe Project.
Randolph and her team, made up of volunteer genetic genealogists, collaborate with coroners and law enforcement agencies to give names back to the dead.
“I hope it opens the public’s eyes to this issue of how many people there are that are unidentified. And it’s over 50,000 in the United States alone. And I don’t think many people realize that. But I also hope it opens their eyes to how many are addressing this problem and how dedicated they are. And that starts with our agency partners who will sometimes work their entire career trying to break open one of these cases,” said Randolph.
Cases featured in the show range from natural deaths and accidents to murders.
In each instance, investigators must first extract viable DNA from remains, which is often decades old, and generate a detailed profile similar to consumer tests like AncestryDNA or 23andMe.
That genetic data is then cross-referenced with public databases to find distant relatives, construct family trees and ultimately identify the decedent.
While some identifications are made in a matter of hours, others, like one case shown in the series, can take up to three years due to laboratory challenges or complex family histories.
Randolph emphasized that while the technology is still relatively new it has rapidly become an essential tool in resolving the nation’s oldest mysteries.
The Hitchhiker:
One particularly chilling episode, titled The Hitchhiker, examines the case of a serial killer responsible for nearly 20 deaths across Illinois and Indiana.
It provides a rare glimpse into both the lab work and emotional moments when families finally hear the name of a long-lost loved one.
The local connection includes Newton County, Indiana coroner Scott McCord, whose persistence in a challenging case proved critical to the investigation.
“Scott’s role was essential. His, you know, unwillingness to give up on these very challenging cases is what, you know, resulted in it being brought to us. It was actually one of a couple cases we worked on for him. So he just would not give up, and he was going to keep going as long as it took. He brought the case to us, and we worked collaboratively and, you know, that’s how it was resolved. So without agencies taking those steps and seeking out this technique, you know identifications may not happen. But Scott refused to give up. And it was very neat to see how the family welcomed him and how important his effort was to them,” said Randolph.
Each episode of Naming the Dead tells a complete story, showcasing both the scientific breakthroughs and human impact behind each identification.
The series also highlights the tireless volunteers and families whose lives are forever changed by answers.
The Hitchhiker premieres Friday, August 2, at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on National Geographic, and will be available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Source: The information from this article came from an interview with Jennifer Randolph on ChicagoNOW.
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