Bones found in 1989 in a Wisconsin chimney identified as man who last contacted relatives in 1970

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say human bones found inside the chimney of a Wisconsin music store in 1989 have been identified as those of a man whose last known contact with relatives was in 1970. The DNA Doe Project announced this week the bones are those of Ronnie Joe Kirk, who was originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Wisconsin State Journal reports Kirk’s bones and skull were found in September 1989 in the chimney of a since-demolished building in Madison, Wisconsin. They were identified after hair samples from the skull were sent in 2021 to a DNA sequencing company. That yielded a DNA profile which led genetic genealogy to determine they were those of Kirk, who was married twice and had three children.