WARNING: This case involves details of child abuse and murder. Viewer discretion advised!
Oh my god. Another Doe identified in 2025. I get so delighted whenever I find Does reunited with their names. We've had many these last few years and this year especially, Pamela Walton (Julie Doe), Tanya Jackson (Peaches), even Doris Girtz (The Girl with Turquoise Jewelry), and I hope there will be even more.
Just yesterday, another Doe, a young boy, got his name back after 53 years of mystery. That boy would be Carl Matthew Bryant, aged 4.
There exists only one reconstruction of this young soul, a rather memorable and unfortunate post-mortem derivative by the NCMEC.
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| Carl Matthew Bryant (May 26, 1968 - June 13, 1972) |
Alongside getting his identification back, we also found out details of his life leading up to his murder, which we'll get into now.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Carl was living with his mother, Vera Bryant, and six-month year old brother, James Bryant. Vera recently got a boyfriend, James Hedgepath. (To prevent confusion between his brother and the mom's boyfriend, I'm going to use "Jamie" for his brother.)
According to the Unidentified Wiki, James Hedgepath "had a violent criminal history and was previously convicted of murder," which automatically makes him the prime suspect in what happened next.
On June 13th, 1972, Vera and James drove to Middlesex County, Virginia to visit James' family, with the boys. However, when they arrived, the boys weren't there. When they returned to Pennsylvania, Vera told her relatives they left the boys in custody of the Hedgepath family.
Carl and James were never seen by the Bryant family ever again.
Later the same day, in Lorton, Virginia, a horrible sight was found in the river. It was the body of a young African American boy, about 3 to 6. He had been beaten to death, with extensive blunt force trauma injuries on his head. He also was nude, and none of his clothes have been recovered.
The victim, who couldn't be identified, would be dubbed Fairfax County John Doe.
The connection between the decedent and Carl wasn't made for decades, until this year. The NCMEC and Innovative Forensic Investigations worked on the case and located a maternal aunt of the victim. The woman said that her sister, Vera Bryant, who died in 1980, had two sons, Carl and Jamie, who she last saw in 1972.
Investigators quickly realized the similarities between Carl and FCJD, and further investigation into the DNA connection between the decedent and Vera Bryant was made in 2023. In April 2025, it was confirmed the child was the son of Vera Bryant, and ultimately, Carl Bryant himself.
After 53 years, he finally had a name.
Despite the amazing identification, there's sadly still some mystery that needs to be solved. Vera Bryant and James Hedgepath are currently deceased, and they are obviously the prime suspects in Carl's murder- and the disappearance of his brother, Jamie. His remains haven't been located yet, and as of writing, no unidentified boy has been linked to possibly being Jamie.
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| Map showing possible path Vera and James took, where Jamie's body may have been left |
I mentioned earlier James was "previously convicted of murder", which astonishes me- what was it for, and how did he get out only to possibly harm more people? How was Vera Bryant involved in the murder? These are questions I hope can be somewhat resolved one day.
For now though, I am so tremendously glad genetic genealogy has come in clutch once again and reunited a young, poor boy who didn't have a chance in life with the name he so rightfully deserves. Calling Vera and James his "parents" is an excuse. They just murdered and discarded him like he was an inconvenience.
Rest in peace, Carl Matthew Bryant (and presumably, Jamie Bryant).
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025
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