The District Attorney's Cold Case unit has confirmed the identity of a body found in a fire at the former Hungry Fisherman Restaurant on Christmas Day 2013.
The body is that of 25-year old Joshua Zipperer, who was reported missing by his mother several days later.
The Cold Case unit said, "Around 3 a.m., Dec.
25, 2013, East Ridge firefighters responded to an extensive fire at 6715 Ringgold Road. The burning building originally housed the Hungry Fisherman restaurant; it had long been vacant and was used frequently as shelter by homeless people. Investigators were unable to determine what caused the fire.
"During a walkthrough of the burned-out building, investigators found human remains. Because of extensive thermal damage, the victim’s race and gender could not be determined on scene. An autopsy revealed the victim was a white male, age 30-40, who died of an acute alcohol overdose prior to the fire. The medical examiner could not determine the victim’s eye or hair color.
An anthropologist from the University of Tennessee examined the remains and determined the victim had been 5’4”-5’7” in height and concluded the victim’s dental records would be needed for positive identification.
"On Monday, Dec. 30, 2013, the mother of then 25-year old Joshua Zipperer reported him missing to East Ridge Police. She had seen media reports about a body discovered in the debris of the Christmas Day fire and was concerned it might be her son.
"Joshua Zipperer had been living in a homeless camp near the Hungry Fisherman building. He normally kept in frequent contact with his mom, typically calling her several times each day. His mother told police she had last seen her son at the Wendy’s on Ringgold Road around 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve and she had not heard from him since.
"Joshua Zipperer had a recorded height of 6’1”, well above the 5’4”-5’7” range the UT anthropologist had given the fire victim. He was also five years younger than the 30-40 year age range the medical examiner gave the fire victim.
"In April 2017, HCDA Cold Case Unit Investigator Michael Ray began reviewing the U.S. Department of Justice’s NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) repository for all missing and unidentified persons cases related to Hamilton County and its municipalities.
"Acting on a hunch, Investigator Ray began investigating the circumstances of Joshua Zipperer’s disappearance and the possibility the fire remains belonged to the missing man.
"Investigator Ray 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. Dr. Blockley compared Zipperer’s dental records to the dental photos taken during the autopsy and concluded they matched.
"Dr. Steven Cogswell, who performed the 2013 autopsy on the fire victim, then reviewed the fire death case and revised the autopsy report.
"District Attorney Neal General Pinkston and the CCU met Tuesday morning with Joshua Zipperer’s mother."