Latest news with #HumboldtCounty
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
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. Woman, 64, faces deportation after making wrong turn in Southern California 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.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Skull found on California beach three decades ago connected to missing teacher
A human skull discovered on a California beach in 1993 has been identified as belonging to a beloved schoolteacher who vanished without a trace in 1987. The decades-old case breakthrough came after advanced DNA testing matched the skull to 48-year-old Kay Josephine Medin through a sample provided by her daughter. The identification was made possible by the forensic genealogy firm Othram, which specializes in solving cold cases using DNA analysis, KRCR reported. 'This week, Josephine Medin's loved ones got the answers they've needed for 32 years since her disappearance. I hope this discovery helps them find peace and closure,' US Representative Jared Huffman wrote on X. Medin, a teacher at Hyampom School, was last seen on August 3, 1987, when her husband, Nickolas Medin, returned home from a work trip to find her missing. Her purse and other 'personal property' were found at the residence, suggesting she had intended to return. However, despite extensive searches by local volunteers in the rugged terrain surrounding their home, there was no sign of the missing schoolteacher. Several months later, in November 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) received an anonymous package containing some of Medin's skeletal remains. The package also included an anonymous letter directing investigators to additional remains near Ammon Ridge Road in eastern Humboldt County - about 45 miles from her home. In February of 1993, the Fortuna Police Department contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office to report the discovery of a woman's partial human skull found on the beach near Trinidad Head - about 100 miles from Medin's home. Pictured: Trinidad Beach in Humboldt County, California The remains were positively identified through dental records, but the cause of her death remained undetermined and no suspects were arrested. A death certificate was later issued for Medin in 1988, however, she remained listed as a missing person as there was not a complete body recovery. Years later, in February of 1993, the Fortuna Police Department contacted the HCSO to report the discovery of a woman's partial human skull found on the beach near Trinidad Head - about 100 miles from Medin's home. The mysterious skull however remained unidentified until recent DNA testing confirmed its identity. The circumstances of how the beloved teacher's remains were dispersed over such a wide area remain unclear, and her death has since been considered a homicide. Authorities have stated that Medin's husband, who reported her missing, is not considered a suspect, as he died in 2018. The case was only reopened after Huffman secured federal funding to help clear a backlog of unidentified remains cases. Using these funds, the HCSO submitted the mysterious skull to Othram's lab in The Woodlands, Texas, to determine if DNA testing could yield new information. Several months later, Othram provided investigators with new leads, including the possible identity of the skull's owner. The discovery led to a follow-up investigation and the identification of a potential relative. The California Department of Justice compared the relative's DNA to the profile developed from the skull, confirming it belonged to Kay Josephine Medin - also known as Kay Adams at the time she was reported missing in 1987, according to Investigators continue to seek answers in the hopes of uncovering the truth behind Medin's disappearance and death. Anyone with information is urged to contact Humboldt County Investigator Mike Fridley at 707-441-3024.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Forensic testing links skull remains to Northern California woman missing since 1987
A man was walking along a rocky, picturesque shoreline of Trinidad Head, located about 25 miles north of Eureka, when he spotted something unusual and unnerving. The unidentified man's discovery in February 1993 turned out to be a partial human skull that he handed over to the nearby Fortuna Police Department. To help identify the remains, the police forwarded them to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department, which extracted a DNA sample and entered that into the California Missing Person DNA Database and the National Unidentified Person DNA index. The remains were unidentified until the Sheriff's Department announced this week it had linked the skull to the 1987 disappearance and death of a 48-year-old woman from Trinity County. The discovery was made through the aid of a third-party forensic tester and a federal grant. Authorities believe the skull fragments are the third set of remains belonging to Kay Josephine Medin, also known as Kay Adams, an elementary school teacher from Hyampom, who disappeared from that rural Northern California community in 1987. No witnesses, potential suspects or charges have ever filed in what authorities classified as a cold case homicide. Her husband, Nickolas, died in 2018. Read more: Man charged in cold case murder, sexual assaults could have more victims, police say While there's been no progress in finding out who killed Medin, this latest set of remains provides law enforcement another clue. Law enforcement officials credit Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) for providing a community project grant designed to help clear a backlog of cold cases. Within a short span, the Sheriff's Department contacted Othram, a Texas-based forensic laboratory that specializes in genome sequencing that helps disentangle cold cases. The company claimed its assisted in solving 47 cases involving unsolved murders, unidentified remains or unresolved sexual assault kits over the last 90 days. The company utilized its forensic-grade genome sequencing to construct a DNA profile of the DNA sample from the discovered skull fragment. In September, Ortham generated new leads on the possible identity of the skull, which included Medin, to the Sheriff's Department. Included in the report were possible genetic relatives, including a daughter. Sheriff's investigators located the daughter, obtained a DNA sample and confirmed the skull was that of Medin. Ortham said in a release that Medin's case was the 63rd instance of individuals identified in California through its testing efforts. Read more: He found a girl's body in the snow in 1979. Nearly 50 years later, DNA shows he killed her Inquiries sent to Ortham and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department were not returned. 'While Ms. Medin's case is tragic, I am relieved for the community that it has been brought to rest,' Huffman wrote in an emailed statement. 'Funding like this to help solve cold cases can not only bring justice, but closure to families and communities. I'm proud we were able to do some of that in this case.' The Sheriff's Department said that anyone who has tips regarding Medin should contact investigator Mike Fridley at (707) 441-3024. During the summer of 1987, Medin went missing while her husband was on a business trip. The family property was searched, while friends, family and her personal doctor were interviewed. Medin's purse and personal belongings were found in her home, and the Trinity County Sheriff's Office listed her disappearance as suspicious. Reports from the time said around 100 people, mostly volunteers, searched throughout remote and woodsy Trinity County. The local sheriff acknowledged at the time in an interview that he had run out of leads. Part of the mystery was solved in November 1987 when the Humboldt County Sheriff's office received a package of skeletal remains. A letter was included with directions leading to more, but what was found was still an incomplete set of remains. Those remains were recovered in East Humboldt County, about 45 miles from the Medin home while the skull was discovered 100 miles away on the shore of Trinidad Head. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
