“A 42-year mystery is now solved thanks to advances in science, technology and the work of California DOJ criminalists and their partners at Othram.  Families get answers and investigators get leads.”

–CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

MARIN COUNTY – On June 25, 2024, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office announced the identity of a man whose skeletal remains were found in November 1982 in the Muir Woods National Monument, near the Deer Park Fire Trail in Marin County within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Investigators responded to the scene and determined the remains were that of a male, who was approximately 5’8” tall and likely between the ages of 60 and 70 years old. At the time of the man’s discovery, he was wearing a white collared shirt, gray socks, and a pair of size 11.5 white tennis shoes. The man could not be identified and became known as Marin County John DOE 82-278.

In April 2018, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP17746. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the man, no matches were found, and the case went cold due to a lack of viable leads.

In 2022, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, working in collaboration with the California  Department of Justice (DOJ) Jan Bashinski DNA Lab, partnered with Othram Forensics to develop a genetic profile to aid in the identification of John DOE. The California DOJ submitted forensic evidence to Othram in Texas. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and developed a comprehensive DNA profile of the unknown man. Othram’s costs for the case were provided by the Roads to Justice (RTJ) program. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.