Human remains found in Olympic National Park sleeping bag identified after 26 years using DNA forensics

Joseph Louis Serrao Jr., born December 3, 1960, in Hawaii, was identified as the man whose skeletal remains were found in a sleeping bag inside a tent along the Sol Duc River drainage in the backcountry of Washington state's Olympic National Park, roughly 100 miles west of Seattle. A researcher discovered the remains in July 2000, along with personal belongings including binoculars, a backpack, a shoulder bag, a folding saw, a blanket, and winter gear. At the time, King County medical examiners estimated the deceased was a man between 30 and 50 years old who had been dead for six months to four years, but the lack of usable fingerprints and other identifying evidence left the case unsolved for decades. The case was reopened in 2024 when a forensic anthropologist submitted a DNA sample to Othram Laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, which used forensic-grade genome sequencing and genetic genealogy to build a DNA profile and trace possible living relatives across multiple states, including Hawaii. Investigators contacted and interviewed those relatives, obtained reference DNA samples, and confirmed the remains belonged to Serrao, whose family had last heard from him in 1998. National Park Service Investigative Services Branch Deputy Chief Debra Flowers credited the resolution to persistent collaboration among law enforcement, forensic scientists, and genetic genealogy experts. While Serrao's identity has now been established, authorities have not disclosed the cause of death or detailed the circumstances of his final days.