Unidentified decedent

Unidentified decedent (also abbreviated as UID or UP) is a term in American English used to describe a corpse of a person whose identity cannot be established by police and medical examiners. In many cases, it may be several years before the real-life identities of some individuals are found, while in some cases, they are never identified. An individual may remain unidentified due to lack of evidence as well as absence of personal identification such as a driver's license. Where the remains may have deteriorated or mutilated to the point where the body would not be easily recognized the faces of the victims may be reconstructed to show what they had looked like before death. Unidentified decedents are often referred to by the placeholder names "John Doe" or "Jane Doe".