DNA technology solves 25-year-old mystery of human remains found in Olympic National Park

Article excerpt

Twenty-five years after human remains were discovered in Washington state's Olympic National Park, DNA technology has finally identified them as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr. The remains were found in 2000 but had gone unidentified for more than two decades, leaving the case cold. Modern genetic analysis broke through where traditional investigation had stalled, providing closure to what had been an unsolved mystery. The identification marks a rare instance where advanced forensic science catches up with old cases that seemed destined to remain mysteries.