Human skull discovered 32 years ago in Stafford County identified

STAFFORD COUNTY, V.a. (FOX 5 DC) - A human skull that was found in Stafford County 32 years ago has been positively identified through DNA, genealogical research and historical background.

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On September 28, 1990, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a human skull had been found lying under a fence line next to the roadway of Joshua Road, near the intersection of Mountain View Road.

The area was searched, but no additional human remains were located. The skull did not show any signs of trauma.

The skull was examined by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s (OCME) in Richmond along with the National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution and the Department of Anthropology in D.C. They concluded the skull appeared to be of an adolescent Caucasian male, between the ages of 15-18 years old (1986-1989) and placed a reasonable estimate of time between death and its discovery between 1 and 3 years.

A cause of death could not be determined by the OCME, but due to the estimated age of the victim and the location where the skull was located, a violent or unnatural manner of death was strongly suspected by the OCME. The manner of death was ruled "undetermined."

Starting in 2011, DNA testing was performed on the remains by DNA International and University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and they were successful in developing a full DNA Profile.

The profile was uploaded and searched in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but resulted in negative results.

In November 2021, thanks to the genealogical research conducted by Ortham Laboratories in Woodlands, Texas, the company was able to provide the Sheriff’s Office with a possible name and possible location of the victim’s father and a brother who were from the Norfolk area of Virginia.

Detectives located and contacted both the victim’s father and brother and it was at that time detectives were provided the name of Timothy Alan Mangum as a possible identity.

The family had not had contact with Mangum for a number of years prior to 1990. DNA samples were obtained from both the father and brother and sent to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science in Richmond.

Based on the DNA comparisons to the remains, the OCME has identified the remains as those belonging to Timothy Mangum.

Detectives have been able to obtain some historical background information on Timothy Mangum and learned that he attended Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk Virginia during the April 1983 school year after having withdrawn from the Chesapeake Public School system in January 1983.

At one point, Timothy had moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee to live with his mother, but he returned back to Virginia and was placed at the James Barry Robinson Institute in Norfolk and later enrolled in Lake Taylor Senior High School for his sophomore year.

At this time, detectives believe that Timothy Magnum was last alive in 1983-1984, but not much more information is known about his disappearance or the circumstances surrounding his death.

Detectives are continuing the investigation and attempting to contact anyone who had any contact with Timothy Mangum or can provide any information as to why Timothy Mangum would have been in Stafford County around September 1990.

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Anyone having any information concerning Timothy Alan Mangum and who might have known or attended school with him is asked to contact Detective Dave Wood, at the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, 540-658-4727, or email at dwood@staffordcountyva.gov.