Identity determined for skull found in St. Tammany Parish in 2017
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A skull found about seven years ago has been identified by the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office.
The coroner’s office reported the human skull was discovered in the Big Branch Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 10, 2017, and they have since worked to identify the remains.
Through collaboration with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and volunteers, deputies and officials searched the area but found no clues.
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The remains were sent to the Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Lab at LSU but a missing jaw bone prevented proper reconstruction to create an image of what the person may have looked like.
DNA from the skull drew no conclusions of a missing person or convicted criminals.
- Gary A. Maggio (Courtesy: St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office)
- (Courtesy: St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office)
In March 2023, the agency sent DNA samples to a private lab that suggested the remains were of European and Middle Eastern Descent.
In July, the lab found a genetic match and cold case investigator Chris Knoblauch contacted a woman who said she had an uncle in Louisiana who hadn’t been seen or heard from since 2016.
The sample she provided proved to be a match confirming the skull belonged to her uncle identified as 67-year-old Gary A. Maggio, a military veteran and Slidell resident who had never been reported missing.
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His niece said he was an avid outdoorsman.
St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Christopher Tape said the cause of death is undetermined and there was no sign of trauma to the skull.
“That the skull was the only bit of remains found is not necessarily indicative of criminal wrongdoing – nor even of suicide – as the marsh area is subject to tidal influence. The skull could have been deposited there during a surge, or other remains could have been washed away, or taken away by animal activity. Without further information, we will never know,” said Tape.
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