Human remains discovered in Olympic National Park a quarter century ago have been identified as a Hawaii man who vanished in the late 1990s, thanks to advances in forensic genealogy and a decades-long investigation.
Remains found in 2000 in a remote area of Olympic National Park have been identified as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr., the National Park Service said.
A researcher discovered skeletal remains inside a sleeping bag in a tent in the Sol Duc River drainage in July 2000 and alerted authorities, according to investigators.
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 who had been dead for between six months and four years.
Investigators processed items recovered from the tent, but were unable to develop usable fingerprints. For years, the case remained unsolved.
In 2024, a forensic anthropologist with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office submitted a DNA sample from the unidentified remains to Othram, a laboratory specializing in forensic genealogy.
The testing analyzed DNA markers to identify potential relatives and generate investigative leads. By 2025, the laboratory had identified possible family connection.
The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch then contacted relatives in several states, including Hawaii, and collected reference DNA samples for comparison.
Based on genetic, genealogical, and circumstantial evidence, investigators identified the remains as Serrao.
The National Park Service did not release additional information about the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to family members, Serrao was originally from Hawaii and had been in Washington before he disappeared. The family’s last known contact with him was in 1998.
“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.”
