A decades-long mystery that perplexed Stark County authorities has been solved, as the skeletal remains of a man discovered in 2001 have now been identified as Anthony Gulley, a young father from Pontiac, Michigan. This breakthrough finally offers answers to Gulley’s family, who spent over three decades searching for any clue about his fate.
“I always said, ‘I pray before I go, I can find out whatever happened to my brother.’ I wanted some answers. I wanted some closure,” said Elizabeth Gulley, his sister, expressing the emotional toll of years spent in the dark.
Gulley, 24 at the time of his death, was murdered in 1994 in Michigan. His remains were found approximately 250 miles away, on private land near an oil well along Trump Avenue in Canton Township, Ohio. According to Sgt. Bryan Johnson of the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, the remains showed signs of prolonged exposure to sunlight. “The bones were bleached white back in 2001, which would indicate that they had been out there for some time and had a large exposure to the sunlight,” he explained.
For over two decades, the identity of the person remained unknown, with investigators initially suspecting the remains were those of a woman. However, in 2023, after sending the remains to Ohio State University, anthropologists confirmed the individual was a male, aged between 21 and 44. A facial reconstruction later revealed the man was likely a Black male. Despite numerous public tips and DNA tests ruling out other possibilities, the investigation hit several dead ends.
“We hit a wall once again,” said Sgt. Johnson, but his persistence paid off. After sending DNA from the remains to the DNA Doe Project, the organization utilized genetic genealogy and social media to identify a potential match. The breakthrough came when they discovered a possible link to Gulley.
“When they told me they had a name for our John Doe, I was ecstatic,” Johnson recalled.
For Gulley’s daughters, Raven Williams and Yoshi Carroll, the news answered a long-standing question: “Where is my dad?” Williams admitted, “Absolutely not,” when asked if she ever thought the day would come when her father would be found. After the DNA swabs confirmed the match, the family was left with a sense of relief.
“It’s life-changing. It’s something that you just never think you’re going to receive,” said Carroll, reflecting on the emotional weight of the discovery. “It’s a different type of weight lifted off our shoulders.”
For Elizabeth, the revelation was emotional. “I shed a few tears, but it was more of—finally,” she said, describing the moment as surreal. “It didn’t seem real. It felt like in the moment, I was living like a CSI moment.”
The search for Anthony Gulley began in 1994, after he went missing following a no-show at his job at a car dealership in Michigan. His rental car was discovered burned in Akron, Ohio, less than two weeks later, but there was no sign of Anthony. At the time, his daughters were just three and four years old and have little to no recollection of their father.
“We’ve had to spend, again, over 30 years just trying to cling to each other,” said Carroll, speaking to the difficulty of growing up without answers.
Investigators pieced together that Gulley had been shot and killed in a Pontiac hotel before his remains were disposed of in Stark County. They identified the suspect as George Washington—also known as Ricky—who had died in 1994 after a shootout with Akron police and a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Although Washington cannot face charges due to his death, the Stark County Sheriff’s Office report suggests that Gulley’s murder was likely committed by Washington.
While the identification brings closure to some, it does not offer the justice the family hoped for. “He’s not home with us yet. When he’s here, his remains are here, then maybe I can use the word closure,” said Williams, referring to plans to bring her father’s remains home.
A press conference will be held on Tuesday afternoon, where Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Stark County Sheriff Eric Weisburn will provide further details on the case. BCI Criminal Intelligence Analyst Samantha Reeb and Traci Onders from the DNA Doe Project will also be present to offer additional insights.