Dental records show that human remains found in the aftermath of a 2013 fire on the 6700 block of Ringgold Road were those of a missing man.
The match cleared two cold cases after an investigator with the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office began reviewing the cases on a hunch in April, according to a news release. The District Attorney's Office said East Ridge Police Department was responsible for investigating the cases prior to them being handled by the Cold Case Unit.
On Christmas Day 2013, East Ridge firefighters responded to an extensive fire in the building that used to house the Hungry Fisherman restaurant on Ringgold Road. The building had been used frequently as a shelter by homeless people, and investigators were unable to determine what caused the fire.
Joshua ZippererHuman remains were found inside, but the victim's race and gender could not be determined because of the severity of the burns. An autopsy revealed he was a white male likely aged 30-40 who died of an acute alcohol overdose before the fire.
An anthropologist from the University of Tennessee also examined the remains and determined the victim had been between 5 feet, 4 inches and 5 feet, 7 inches in height.
Five days after the fire, the mother of 25-year-old Joshua Zipperer reported him missing to East Ridge police. She had seen reports of the fire victim and feared it might be her son.
Zipperer was known to have been living in a nearby homeless camp, but he usually kept in frequent contact with his mother, often calling her multiple times a day. She said she had last seen him on Ringgold Road on Christmas Eve.
On a hunch, investigator Michael Ray began reviewing both cases, tracked down Zipperer's dental records and gave them to Dr. Heath Blockley, a Chattanooga dentist who provides forensic odontology exams for the Hamilton County Medical Examiner's Office.
Blockley determined the records were a match with dental photos taken during the autopsy. His mother has asked for privacy in light of her son's death.
Anyone with information about any cold case is asked to use the cold case hotline at 423-209-7470 or email coldcases@hcdatn.org.
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.