Skeletal Remains Found at Georgia Construction Site Identified as Missing Duluth Man
Timothy Mitchell Williams told his mother to keep his phone on July 18, 2020 — and was never heard from again. His bones were found five years later at a hospital construction site.
The last thing Timothy Mitchell Williams told his mother before vanishing in July 2020 was to keep his cell phone; he would call her later. He never did. More than five years after that final conversation, the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed in March 2026 that partial skeletal remains unearthed at a Gwinnett County construction site belong to the 57-year-old Duluth man.
Construction workers expanding Northside Hospital Gwinnett near Highway 316 at the Duluth Highway/Highway 120 exit discovered the remains on February 10, 2025. Despite an extensive search of the site, authorities recovered only partial skeletal remains, and investigators were unable to immediately identify the individual. The Lawrenceville Police Department coordinated with the medical examiner's office throughout what would become a more than year-long identification effort.
Investigators didn't have much to work with at first. A forensic artist from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation produced a sketch based on the skull's anatomical features to help generate leads, while investigators simultaneously reviewed numerous missing persons cases, ruling out multiple possibilities one by one. Senior Forensic Technician Christina Pursley and staff at the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office were credited by officials for the painstaking forensic work that ultimately helped bring closure to the Williams family.
The breakthrough came through Othram, a forensic genealogy company, via its DNASolves program. Genetic genealogy analysis in early 2026 pointed investigators toward possible relatives. Once those relatives were contacted, investigators learned about Williams, who had been reported missing since July 18, 2020. A buccal swab obtained from Williams' mother was compared to DNA extracted from the skeletal remains, and the match was confirmed.
Officials noted the case marked the second in Lawrenceville in recent weeks cracked using Othram's technology and the 30th such identification in Georgia, a testament to how forensic genealogy is steadily reshaping cold-case investigations.
According to the Lawrenceville Police Department, Williams was a son, a brother, and a loyal friend. He was a skier, a proud business owner, and a devoted animal lover who kept up to 10 iguanas and several dogs. His last known location was near his home in Duluth, and it remains unknown how he ended up at the construction site where his remains were discovered nearly five years after he disappeared.
Police have not released a cause of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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