Authorities announced last week that they have identified the human remains found in Mendocino County in 2012 as those of a Washington man last seen in 1986.
A forensic laboratory identified Warren David Hawkins’ remains using DNA reconstruction, comparison, and genealogy research.
In July 1986, Hawkins’ mother dropped him off at a bus stop, marking his last sighting.
Mendocino Sheriff’s Capt. Quincy Cromer revealed in a Monday news release that they discovered his shallow grave in 2012 in Piercy, a small village on the south fork of the Eel River.
Hawkins was 21 when he vanished.
Othram, a Texas firm that assists in case resolution by completing DNA profiles through genome sequencing, identified him based on family ties.
In 2012, authorities discovered the majority of Hawkins’ bones after a bystander discovered his grave in the 83000 block of Highway 271 on the morning of October 30.
The detectives needed to paddle a quarter-mile to reach the location.
Forensic anthropologists from California State University, Chico excavated and preserved the decapitated skeleton. The body, which looked to have been there for an “extended time,” was dressed in 1980s-style attire.
Following multiple attempts to identify the remains, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office transferred evidence to Othram last spring, where a genetic genealogy team discovered ties to Hawkins’ family.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office obtained DNA samples from Hawkins’ sister, Paula Hawkins, who reported her brother missing to the same agency and submitted them to Othram.
The lab confirmed Hawkins’ identification using his sister’s DNA, Cromer told The Press Democrat on Monday.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is still looking into Hawkins’ homicide.
