Monterey Bay fisherman who vanished at sea 28 years ago identified
DNA experts with Othram laboratory helped Monterey County cold case investigators confirm the real identity of a deceased man known as 'Sandholdt Doe.' His bones were found tangled in a fishing net in 2021 near the Monterey Bay.
The team recently concluded that the bones found at sea were from the skeletal remains of a missing fisherman, Jeffrey Lyndon Hulliger.
Hulliger was born on May 30, 1960. He was 36 years old when he went fishing for black cod with a friend in the Monterey Bay on January 14, 1997, according to DNASolves.com.
The fishermen had sent out a distress signal from their boat, The Salmon Patty. Hulliger's boatmate, Greg Mitchell, has never been found.
'According to newspaper accounts at the time, the Coast Guard launched a multi-day search with volunteers, two Coast Guard cutters, a helicopter and an airplane in an effort to rescue the men. Only debris was found, and both men were presumed drowned. Neither the boat nor their remains were located in the search,' DNASolves.com wrote.
Mysterious human skull found on NorCal beach identified
In 2022, the Monterey County Cold Case Taskforce teamed up with Othram, a DNA lab based in Texas, to determine if advanced testing could help identify 'Sandholdt Doe.' According to DNASolves.com, 'Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new leads in the case.'
A reference DNA sample was collected from a relative that matched Hulliger.
'There is a Fishermen's Memorial established near where this man was lost that is dedicated to the fishermen who lost their lives at sea,' said Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer for Othram. 'Now when their remains are found, we have a technology that can bring answers to their families and those answers can bring resolution.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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