Remains Found In Canada Identified As Missing Oaklyn Man

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — A man who was found deceased in Canada in 1983 has been identified as a missing Haddon Township man, authorities announced.

The circumstances surrounding Theodore Frederick Kampf’s death remain suspicious, and the investigation into his death continues, according to the Royal Mounted Canadian Police.

Kampf, of Oaklyn, was 46 when he went missing while traveling to the Yukon in 1981, police said. He was reported missing in October of that year after he stopped contacting his family.

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Two years later, in May 1983, human remains were found in a wooded area near Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, police said. Although the remains were identified as belonging to an adult man, the man’s identity was never determined.

When the Yukon RCMP Historic Case Unit (HCU) was formed in 2019, it put a renewed focus on determining his identity, police said. The National DNA Data Bank (NDDB) in Canada was able to obtain a DNA profile from his remains. However, no match was made despite comparison attempts made both nationally and internationally.

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Texas based Othram Inc. was contracted to conduct advanced forensic analysis in the fall of 2020, police said. In a separate statement, Othram said it used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile from old, degraded skeletal remains.

The Othram genealogy team produced investigative leads that were then returned to the Yukon RCMP HCU, which then began working with Oaklyn and New Jersey State police on a missing person case.

In a joint effort by the University of North Texas Health Science Centre (UNTHSC) and NDDB, comparisons were done between the human remains and the missing person resulting in a match.

The remains were identified as Kampf, and police believe he was killed in the same month he went missing.

Anyone who has knowledge of Kampf and/or the events leading up to his death is asked to call or email the Yukon RCMP Historic Case tip line at 867-667-5500, MDIV_HCU@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

“This identification has only been possible through the collobaoration of numerous organizations and individuals including: HCU, YCS, NDDB, UNTHSC, Othram Inc., New Jersey State Police (USA), Oaklyn Police Department (NJ), Camden County Prosecutor’s Office (NJ), National Missing & Unidentified Persons System, National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains and friends / family of Mr. Kampf,” police said in a statement. “It has only been through the efforts of many that these answers could be provided after 40-years of waiting.”

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