Remains found in 1985 ID'd as man last seen leaving for work, CA officials say

Miami Herald

26-05-2025

Three decades after human remains were found in a rural California area, they've been identified as those of a missing man, coroner officials say.
With the help of DNA testing, the remains were identified as Brian Edward Jones, who was 20 when he was reported missing out of San Jose, the San Mateo County Coroner's Office said in a May 22 news release.
His partial human remains 'were found in an undeveloped area of Menlo Park' on April 15, 1985, officials said.
The man's case went cold, and his identity remained a mystery.
Then, decades later, the coroner's office said they reopened the case in hopes of using DNA testing to identify the remains.
'Records back (in 1985) weren't well documented so it takes a lot of work for my staff to do a lot of research and backtracking,' Coroner Robert Foucrault told the San Mateo Daily Journal.
In this case, the team worked to locate where the remains were buried to collect a DNA sample.
Officials said they worked with a Colma cemetery and the sheriff's office to have the man's remains exhumed.
The coroner's office said they then sent a DNA sample to the California Department of Justice, which created a DNA profile for the unknown man that was submitted to the Combined DNA Index System, officials said.
CODIS is 'a computer software program that operates local, state, and national databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons,' according to federal prosecutors.
A potential match was found in CODIS from a DNA sample submitted in 2016 for a missing persons case, officials said.
While the initial testing showed 'moderate support' that the unknown man was related to the person, additional testing 'provided strong evidence' that the two were related, officials said.
With 'this DNA comparison,' officials said they identified the remains as Jones.
Family last saw Jones alive as he left for work in December 1984, officials said.
The coroner's office said they notified Jones' family of his identification May 20.
'I think for the families, it's relief,' Foucrault told the San Mateo Daily Journal. 'For my staff that worked on it, it's a job well done because they've put closure on a case for someone's loved one that's been missing for a long time.'
Menlo Park is about a 30-mile drive southeast from San Francisco.