SJCPD exhumes body of 40-year-old cold case victim

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The St. Joseph County Police Department exhumed the body of a man known only as the 'Howard Johnson John Doe' Monday morning. 

The unidentified man was found dead by a family near a Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in June of 1985. The building the body was found near no longer exists. 

Officials have a full description of the John Doe, including the clothes he was found in, but have never been able to confirm a name or background. 

Police are hoping that modern DNA technology will help identify the man, which could mean new leads in the long-stagnant investigation and closure for his family. 

Detectives say this is just one of several cold cases the department has been looking into over the past year-and-a-half.