Decades-Long Investigation Identifies Human Remains Found in Olympic National Park

Date: June 10, 2026
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WASHINGTON, DC - Human remains discovered in Olympic National Park in 2000 have been identified as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr. Following a decades-long collaborative investigative effort that included the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch, the King County Medical Examiner's Office and advanced genetic testing and analysis conducted by Othram, a laboratory specializing in forensic genealogy.

In July 2000, a researcher discovered skeletal remains inside a sleeping bag in a tent in a remote area of the Sol Duc River drainage in Olympic National Park and notified authorities.

The remains were transported to the King County Medical Examiner's Office, where a pathologist determined the decedent was likely a man between 30 and 50 years old and had been deceased for six months to four years. Despite investigative efforts, his identity remained unknown.

Items recovered from the tent were processed by the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory, but investigators were unable to develop usable latent fingerprints.

In 2024, a forensic anthropologist with the King County Medical Examiner's Office submitted a DNA sample from the decedent to Othram. The testing analyzed a broad range of DNA markers to identify potential relatives and generate investigative leads. By 2025, the laboratory had identified possible family connections.

"This case remained unresolved for nearly 30 years, but investigators never lost sight of the goal of identifying this individual and finding answers for his family," said Debra Flowers deputy chief of the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch. "I'm proud of the persistence and collaboration that made this identification possible, and I hope it brings some measure of closure to those who have spent so many years wondering what happened to Joseph."

The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch then contacted relatives in several states, including Hawaii, and coordinated interviews and the collection of reference DNA samples for comparison.

Based on genetic, genealogical and circumstantial evidence, investigators identified the remains as those of Serrao.

According to family members, Serrao was originally from Hawaii and had been in Washington before he went missing. The family's last known contact with him was in 1998, and they had not heard from him since.

nps.gov

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