BURLINGTON — On May 22, 1975, a haunting discovery in the woods of Burlington set off a homicide investigation that has remained unsolved for half a century. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the case, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Burlington Police are making a renewed appeal to the public for help identifying the victim — a man who has only been known as “John Doe.”

Found in a shallow grave near Muller Road, the man, estimated to be in his late 20s or early 30s, had endured fatal head wounds. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded he was the victim of a homicide.

Authorities said he stood between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet tall, with long dark hair, likely a beard, and wore a military-style jacket, jeans, and a garrison-type belt buckle. Alongside his remains, authorities recovered a pair of glasses and a distinctive medallion necklace depicting two faces — one smiling, the other frowning.

Despite investigations that authorities said included the pursuit of “multiple leads,” the man’s name remains unknown.

In 2023, the Cold Case Unit of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office obtained a search warrant authorizing the exhumation of the victim’s remains from his unmarked grave in Burlington. According to authorities, genetic testing by Texas-based Othram Inc. determined that he was likely of Southern European descent, with strong ties to Italian, Spanish, and Greek ancestry. Despite this revelation, no close relatives have yet been identified.

“Thousands of families across our country have lost loved ones to murder,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a press release. “The bodies of many of these victims have never been recovered and given a proper burial. Others have been recovered, but never identified, and are buried in unmarked graves. This office is committed to identifying all victims of homicide and giving their grieving families closure.”

Burlington Police Chief Thomas Browne echoed Ryan’s sentiment, urging the public to take a fresh look at the case.

“It is my hope that this new information will get people to take another close look at this case and call authorities with any information that might help us to identify this individual,” Brown said in the release.

Authorities are calling on families in New England, particularly those of Italian, Spanish, or Greek heritage, who may have lost contact with a young male relative in the early 1970s. Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact investigators at 781-897-6600 or middlesexcoldcasetips@mass.gov.

The investigation into the case has been led by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Unit, Trooper Mark Delaney, and Burlington Police Lt. Glen Mills. Middlesex Assistant District Attorney David Solet, chief of the Cold Case Homicide Unit, is the prosecutor assigned to the case.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.