On Tuesday, December 28, 2021 the Bibb County Community will hold a burial and dedication ceremony for Bibb County’s formerly unknown boy. Danny Armantrout was killed in an automobile accident in Bibb County in 1961 and was unidentified for 60 years until a team of forensic geneaologists identified him from a bone sample and tracked down his surviving brother, Donald Hamilton, retired and living in Florida.
Tonight, the Centreville Historic Preservation Commission hosted a reception for many of the public officials, volunteers, and surviving people who had a part in this unidentified person case and followed the case for sixty years or had a part in the final identification of Danny Armantrout.
Pictured above is Donald Hamilton, the surviving brother of Daniel Paul Armantrout with his spouse, and Misty Gillis, the forensic geneaologist who tracked him down. There is a third brother who left home in 1961, has never been heard from and whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Current Bibb County Coroner C.W. West was a key to locating old files and working with the scientists and geneaologists who took an interest in solving the case. Former newspaper owner and reporter James W. Oakley Jr. who worked the case in 1961 and followed the case for years is still around and glad to be able to see the case to its emotional conclusion.
On Tuesday at 2:00 P.M. the final ceremony is open to the public and will be held at the Centreville Memorial Cemetery on Mill Street. Reverend Steve Vernon will conduct the service. Steve’s father, George Vernon, interred Danny in 1961.
Tuesday December 28 is Danny Armantrout’s birthday. He would have been 76 tomorrow.
The Centreville Press will produce a special edition this week with details of the investigation that identified Daniel Paul Armantrout and reprints of stories about the accident and 1960’s era.
