PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — After more than four decades, authorities have identified human remains found in the woods off Old San Mateo Road in 1981.
The sheriff’s office says the body, discovered by a local resident, was in an advanced state of decomposition and could not be recognized at the time.
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Investigators found no signs of foul play and ruled the cause of death undetermined, but not violent.
For years, the man was known only as “Palatka John Doe” and was buried in a local cemetery.
In December 2023, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, with help from the Florida Sheriff’s Association’s Cold Case Advisory Board, dug up the remains to use advanced DNA testing.
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They confirmed the remains belonged to Patrick Nordin, born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1942. Nordin was adopted as a child, and little is known about his life after that, including how he ended up in Florida.
Anyone with information is encouraged to come forward to provide closure for his family.
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