DNA Uncovers Identity
Advanced DNA Testing Identifies Human Remains Discovered Two Decades Ago in Olympic National Park
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Human remains found inside a tent in a remote corner of Olympic National Park in July 2000 have finally been identified — 26 years after their discovery. National Park Service announced on June 10, 2026, that the remains belong to Joseph Louis Serrao Jr., a Hawaii native who had not been heard from since 1998.
The skeletal remains were found tucked in a sleeping bag inside a green-and-black bivy-style tent in the Sol Duc River drainage area. Investigators spent more than two decades trying to put a name to the man before a private Texas lab cracked the case using advanced DNA technology.
Decades-Old Discovery That Stumped Investigators
A researcher stumbled upon the tent during a backcountry trip on July 11, 2000. Inside were skeletal remains and a handful of personal items — a JanSport day pack, binoculars, a folding saw, and a space blanket. Peninsula Daily News reported that the King County Medical Examiner's Office determined the man was between 30 and 50 years old and had been dead for six months to four years.
Investigators ran fingerprints through the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. Nothing came back. The case sat cold in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under case number UP11888 for more than two decades. The remote terrain of the Olympic Peninsula made it easy for the site to go unnoticed for years.
New DNA Technology Finally Put a Name to the Remains
In November 2024, the NPS Investigative Services Branch and the King County Medical Examiner's Office sent a DNA sample to Othram, a private lab in Texas. Othram used a method called Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing. Unlike standard police DNA databases, this process reads hundreds of thousands of genetic markers to find distant relatives in public genealogy databases.
By early 2025, Othram's team had found potential family connections. NPS investigators then tracked down relatives across several states, including Hawaii, to collect reference DNA samples and confirm the match. The identification was officially confirmed on June 10, 2026 — 26 years after the remains were found and 28 years after Serrao last had contact with his family.
'Investigators Never Lost Sight of the Goal'
Debra Flowers, Deputy Chief of the NPS Investigative Services Branch, said the long wait made the result no less meaningful. "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," she said. "I hope it brings some measure of closure to those who have spent so many years wondering what happened to Joseph," according to the National Park Service official release.
No public statement has been released by the Serrao family. Investigators noted that relatives had not heard from him since 1998. The case has now shifted from an unidentified persons case to an active death investigation. Officials have not said whether foul play is suspected.
A Growing Push to Solve Backcountry Cold Cases With DNA
This case is part of a broader trend of federal agencies partnering with private labs to solve old mysteries. FOX 13 Seattle noted that a similar effort in 2023 identified Jerilyn L. Smith, who went missing in the same region in 2018, using the same type of genetic genealogy technology. Experts say skeletal DNA can hold up even after years in wet, rugged environments like the Olympic Peninsula.
Cases like this one are putting pressure on the Department of the Interior to set aside dedicated funding for cold case DNA testing. Unlike some families who must turn to crowdfunding to pay for private lab work, this investigation was covered through the joint efforts of the NPS and King County — at no cost to the public, according to Othram.
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