The identity of a man whose body was found in French Creek in Meadville in early October remains unknown, Crawford County Coroner Eric Coston told The Meadville Tribune Thursday.

The man’s body was discovered in the creek around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 by three kayakers near the Meadville Area Sewer Authority plant.

The man found had no ID. He was white, 30 to 40 years old, 6 feet tall, 187 pounds, and had shoulder-length brown hair. He was fully clothed but had no shoes on. An autopsy found no injuries on the body, and the man had no tattoos or scars.

Since no match was found for a DNA sample taken from the deceased, Coston said the office is trying several different techniques to obtain a potential identification of the man.

“His DNA was not in the CODIS system,” Coston said. “CODIS probably would if he’d ever been fingerprinted, been in the military or been incarcerated (for certain crimes).”

CODIS is the combined DNA index system used by law enforcement.

To identify the man, an out-of-state forensic artist is making a sketch of what the man’s face might have looked like, Coston said.

The man’s body — including his face — was swollen from being in the water and beginning to decompose, Coston said.

“It (the artist’s rendering) will be based on his bone structure,” Coston said. “We sent a CAT scan of the man’s face and it would be based on that as well as the man’s age, height and weight.”

In addition, Coston said his office has been in contact with Othram Labs Inc. of The Woodlands, Texas, a private forensics lab.

Othram uses forensic-grade genome sequencing from DNA samples to develop a DNA profile. It then uses a comprehensive database of hundreds of thousands of genetic markers to identify distant relatives.

Coston said he expects to hear next week whether Othram will accept a DNA sample from the case for possible testing.

Coston said toxicology results found alcohol and illegal drugs in the man’s system.

“Alcohol and illegal drugs undoubtedly contributed to his death,” Coston said. “There were no prescription drugs in his system.”

However, Coston declined to elaborate on the toxicology report, citing the still-open investigation into the man’s death.

Coston has yet to rule on both the cause of death and how the man died.