Jason Callahan
GREENSVILLE COUNTY, Va. –- Investigators have confirmed the identity of the teenage victim known for decades simply as “Grateful Doe” who was killed in a crash on a Virginia highway.
The Medical Examiner’s Office confirms they have finally identified the body of a teenager who was killed in a car wreck in June of 1995.
Jason Callahan left his home in Myrtle Beach to follow the band “The Grateful Dead” on tour.
His body was later found at the scene of a crash in Emporia, but he had no identification on him — just a pair of Grateful Dead concert ticket stubs in his pocket.
Callahan’s body was never identified, and went unclaimed for years.
But earlier this year, his mother filed a missing person’s report. That’s when Myrtle Beach Police came to Virginia to collect DNA samples. That DNA proved the remains belonged to Jason.
On a Facebook page founded in 2012 dedicated to finding the identity of “Grateful Doe,” organizers posted the good news.
“Because of everyone here this man will finally make his way home!” the post reads. “On another note I want this story to do so much more I really pray that this story gives an important lesson to reporting your missing loved ones or even trying to check up on them if you haven’t had contact in years.”
