IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - Authorities in eastern Idaho are working with a private DNA testing company to try to find the identity of human remains found nearly two decades ago.
The Bonneville County Sheriffs Office announced Thursday that it was working with Othram Inc., a private forensics laboratory, to use advanced DNA testing to try to solve the cold case.
The sheriff’s office says a man was walking his dog near Palisades Reservoir in September of 2002 when he found what appeared to be part of a human skull. Deputies searched the area and found other bones, and pathologists determined the bones likely belonged to a man between the ages of 25 and 45. The remains were badly weathered, suggesting they may have been in the reservoir for up to 20 years before they were discovered.
Investigators haven’t determined whether the person died from foul play or an accident, but said it’s possible the remains are related to an accident in 1980 when four people drowned after their boat capsized about 100 yards from the shore. Two of the drowning victims were 38-year-old men; the other two were children aged 7 and 10.
Officials hope the new DNA testing will reveal the identity of the remains or find the person’s close relatives. Investigators are asking that anyone with family ties to missing or unrecovered persons cases from 1978 to 2002 - or information about the case - contact the Bonneville Sheriff’s Office.
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