Human remains found in Olympic National Park more than two decades ago have finally been identified, closing a case that lingered unsolved for nearly 30 years.
The remains were discovered in July 2000 by a researcher who came across skeletal remains inside a sleeping bag in a tent in a remote section of the Sol Duc River drainage. Authorities transported the remains to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, where a pathologist determined the person was likely a man between 30 and 50 years old who had been dead for six months to four years.
Investigators were unable to identify the man at the time. Items recovered from the tent were sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory, but no usable fingerprints could be developed.
The case sat cold until 2024, when a forensic anthropologist with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office submitted a DNA sample to Othram, a lab specializing in forensic genealogy. By 2025 the lab had identified possible family connections.
Investigators with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch then reached out to relatives across several states, including Hawaii, coordinating interviews and collecting reference DNA samples for comparison.
Based on genetic, genealogical and circumstantial evidence, the remains were identified as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr. Family members said Serrao was originally from Hawaii and had been living in Washington before he disappeared. His family’s last 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.” – Debra Flowers, deputy chief of the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
