Partial human skull identified as California woman reported missing in 1987
Partial skeletal remains recovered in 1993 have been positively identified through DNA analysis as that of a Northern California woman reported missing in 1987, officials announced last week.
Kay Josephine Medin, 48, was reported missing in Aug. 1987 by her husband Nikolas Medin, according to a news release from officials in Humbolt County.
Her husband reportedly told investigators that he'd left on a business trip and when he returned, his wife was gone.
'The Medin property was searched, and friends and family were contacted. Her doctor was contacted, who reported she had no serious medical issues,' the release detailed. 'Kay was employed as a teacher at the Hyampom School. Her boss was contacted and reported Kay had been in good spirits. Kay's purse and personal property were found at the residence.'
Investigators with the Trinity County Sheriff's Office listed her disappearance as suspicious.
A little more than three months later, in Nov. 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office received a package containing skeletal remains and an anonymous letter with directions to additional remains in the eastern part of the county.
Investigators followed up and located the additional remains, using dental records to positively identify Kay. A death certificate was issued in 1988, but she was still categorized as missing since her complete body had never been found, officials said.
Then in 1993, a man walking the beach near Trinidad Head found a partial human skull and turned it over to authorities. DNA testing at that time did not indicate any matches.
It wasn't until 2024, after receiving funding to clear up a backlog of unidentified human remains cases, that officials at HCSO sent the partial skull remains to a private lab for DNA analysis.
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After working up a DNA profile, the lab's in-house genealogy team used forensic genetic genealogy to see if any leads could be generated, soon releasing a report that Kay had a possible daughter.
'Investigators were able to locate the daughter and obtained a DNA sample from her,' officials said. 'The California Department of Justice later compared the two samples and confirmed the skull belonged to Kay Medin.'
No arrests or charges have ever been made in connection with her disappearance and death, the Los Angeles Times reported. Her husband, Nikolas, died in 2018.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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