Burlington County man identified in 20-year-old cold case
A 20-year-old cold case was solved using DNA testing.
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A 20-year-old mystery was solved after the body of a man from New Jersey found in the banks of the Delaware River was finally identified.
Police in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania, say two fishermen found the body in October 2003. They say an autopsy was done but the man had no identification, and he did not match missing persons reports from the area.
Police say an autopsy was performed, and it was determined that there was no trauma to the body and that the cause of the man’s death was drowning. The manner of death could not be determined.
Authorities say partial fingerprints were obtained but did not match any known fingerprints in the national database, and samples for DNA comparison were obtained.
The unidentified male was buried in the Doylestown Cemetery while attempts to identify him continued.
An organization called Cold Case Initiative got involved and paid for a genealogy search using DNA gathered. This lead police to Edward Nece from Riverside.
On Oct. 19, 2023, exactly 20 years after the body was discovered, authorities say Nece told investigators that his son, Edward Anthony Nece, hadn't been heard from for 20 years.
He provided a DNA sample which confirmed the unidentified man was indeed his son.
