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

Source: National Park Service press releaase

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

Date: June 10, 2026
Contact: NewsMedia@nps.gov

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.”

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Read more: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/06-10-2026-olym-human-remains.htm