DNA technology solves 25-year-old mystery of human remains found in Olympic National Park

After more than two decades without leads or answers, human remains found in Washington state’s Olympic National Park in 2000 have been identified as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr

After more than two decades without leads or answers, human remains found in Washington state’s Olympic National Park in 2000 have been identified as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr.

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According to Othram Laboratory, which specializes in forensic genealogy and assisted in the investigation, Serrao was born on December 3, 1960.

In July 2000, a researcher discovered human remains in a sleeping bag inside a tent in a remote area of the Sol Duc River drainage in Olympic National Park. At the time, a pathologist estimated the remains were likely those of a man between 30 and 50 years old who had been deceased for six months to four years. No identity could be confirmed.