A 26-Year Identification: DNA and a Tent in Olympic National Park

In July 2000 a researcher located skeletal remains inside a sleeping bag in a tent in a remote area of Olympic National Park along the Sol Duc River drainage. A pathologist at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office later estimated that the decedent was a man between 30 and 50 years old and had likely been dead for six months to four years, although investigators could not identify him at the time.

Investigators revisited the case and in 2024 a forensic anthropologist submitted a DNA sample to Othram, a lab that uses forensic genealogy. Since then, analysts have compared DNA with family samples in different states and by June 10, 2026 officials confirmed the identity as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr. The National Park Service, King County Medical Examiner’s Office, and Othram worked together on the testing and analysis, and the identification has been welcomed as a step toward closure for the family. Items recovered from the campsite included binoculars, a day hiker pack, a shoulder bag and winter gear, but investigators were unable to develop usable fingerprints. The case shows how new genetic tools have been applied to old cases.