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Burnett County Identifies John Doe

Updated: Mar 11, 2022

From Burnett County:


On February 8, 1999, a white male, identified by friends as 54-year-old John Lehmann, died in the Town of Lincoln, Burnett County.  An autopsy was performed by Midwest Medical Examiners. His manner of death had been deemed natural with no signs of foul play. It was later learned that the decedent was living under an assumed name.


On May 1, 2020 The Burnett County Medical Examiner requested assistance with the identification of the deceased male and those efforts have been ongoing with the assistance of the John Doe Project, Midwest Medical Examiners, The Burnett County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the FBI, The US Department of Veterans Affairs Police Service, NAMUUS, the Las Vegas Police Department and the Wisconsin State Crime Lab.  We are relieved to announce that John Doe has been identified as Robert James Pearson. Mr. Pearson is survived by his brother who has been notified of his death.


A special thank you to Burnett County Deputy Josh Henry and Department of Justice Agent Joseph Welsch for never giving up and bringing closure to Mr. Pearson’s family.




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