Latest news with #NickolasMedin
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.
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Skull found on beach in 1993 identified as woman who vanished in 1987, CA cops say
National Skull found on beach in 1993 identified as woman who vanished in 1987, CA cops say Nickolas Medin, who died in 2018, reported his wife, Kay Medin, missing to Trinity County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 3, 1987, deputies said. Photo from Humboldt County Sheriff's Office A skull found on a California beach in 1993 has been identified as that of a woman who was reported missing in 1987, deputies said. Using DNA testing, the remains were identified as Kay Josephine Medin, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said in a May 6 news release. Wife reported missing Nickolas Medin, who died in 2018, reported his wife, Kay Medin, missing to the Trinity County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 3, 1987, deputies said. He told deputies that when he returned from a business trip, he learned his wife was gone, the sheriff's office said. Investigators searched the Medin property and spoke to friends, family and her doctor, who said 'she had no serious medical issues,' deputies said. At the time of her disappearance, Kay Medin was a teacher at Hyampom School, and her boss told investigators she appeared to have 'been in good spirits,' deputies said. Kay Medin's purse and other personal items were found inside the home, deputies said. 'The Trinity County Sheriff's Office listed her disappearance as suspicious,' deputies said. Mysterious package Months after Kay Medin was reported missing, deputies got an odd package in the mail on Nov. 25, 1987, the sheriff's office said. 'The package contained skeletal remains and an anonymous letter,' deputies said. The letter directed deputies to where they could find additional human remains at an area in eastern Humboldt County, the sheriff's office said. Deputies searched the area and found more remains, according to the sheriff's office. Using dental records, deputies said the remains were identified as Kay Medin in 1988. Though she was issued a death certificate, her missing persons case remained open, as not all her remains were found, according to deputies. Skull found Five years later, a man 'found a partial human skull on the beach near Trinidad Head' on Feb. 16, 1993, deputies said. The man turned the remains over to Fortuna police, according to deputies. After getting a DNA sample from the skull, investigators entered it into the California Missing Persons DNA Database and a national DNA database, deputies said. The DNA profile was searched 'against profiles from both missing persons and other human remains in the Combined DNA Index System,' deputies said. However, no match was ever found, deputies said. Genetic genealogy to ID Then, decades later, deputies said they partnered with Othram Inc. in hopes of identifying the remains using forensic genetic genealogy. Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with 'traditional genealogical methods' to create 'family history profiles,' according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related. Othram's scientists built 'a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown woman,' the company said in a news release. Using the profile, Othram then found new leads for investigators, the company said. In a report, Othram said the skull may belong to Kay Medin and noted a possible daughter, deputies said. Investigators found the daughter, who gave a DNA sample, deputies said. Testing showed the skull belonged to Kay Medin, according to deputies. Kay Medin's 'case is still open and considered a cold homicide,' deputies said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Mike Fridley at 707-441-3024. Humboldt County is about a 310-mile drive northwest from Sacramento. Daniella Segura McClatchy DC Go to X Email this person Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she's worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
