O'Sullivan said the family is grateful to have answers so that Little can finally rest in peace. “The goal is to kind of hang in there, commit to it, keep checking those matches, keep going down the lines and keep thinking innovatively,” Chan said. “The fact that he was a musician, and it seems like he had some degree of prominence at one point in time, it’s neat to have that background,” Kohler said.Įlias Chan, a volunteer with DNA Doe Project, worked on the case for more than two years.Ĭhan said the investigation was “far from a slam dunk” and hit many roadblocks along the way as the team searched for potential relatives, but the DNA link finally provided the answers the non-profit organization was seeking. The connection between the old remains and The O’Jays was an unexpected twist for everyone involved in the case.
Arrangements will eventually be made to turn Little over to relatives for a proper burial. Kohler said the remains are the oldest that are stored at the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office. “I feel comfortable saying he died from unknown injuries and that this is a homicide.” “It was clear that there was a match here, that we had finally been able to put a name to those remains,” Kohler said. Kohler said data provided to her through DNA testing revealed odds indicating it was 398,000,000 times more likely that the two men were brothers. Lisa Kohler with the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office. We always wondered what happened, so we don't know what happened to Frankie at all."Ī brother in Georgia provided a DNA sample, which was analyzed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab. I have a cousin name Frankie Little is missing," O'Sullivan said. She was asked if she had any missing relatives. Margaret O'Sullivan, one of Little's cousins form Cleveland, was among the family members who was contacted.
The identity of the remains was a mystery for almost 40 years, until, in October 2021, the DNA Doe Project provided names of potential living relatives who were able to provide Little’s name, police told News 5. Not much is known about his disappearance or death. Little was last known to reside in Cleveland, and it is believed he was last alive in the mid-1970s. Little had a daughter who passed away in 2021 and a son who has not yet been located or identified, police said. I don't know why anyone would do him like that," Levert said. "I never would have thought this would happen to him. Levert lost track of Little over the years and was stunned to learn of the murder of his former band mate. "He could have been a great entity in the music business, but he was in love and love drove him back to Cleveland," Levert said. Levert said Little moved with the band to California in the 60s, but he did not stay on the west coast. Bob Jones | News 5 Photo of Frank Little, undated.Įddie Levert, the lead singer of the O'Jays, said Little was sentimental, loving and passionate.
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