A 26-year-old cold case concluded as authorities identified human remains found in a sleeping bag at Olympic National Park in 2000. The remains were found in July 2000 in the Sol Duc River drainage area.
Joseph Louis Serrao Jr., originally from Hawaii, was living in Washington state at the time of his disappearance. His family claimed they had not heard from him since 1998.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office determined the remains were of a male body between 30 and 50 years old, with a likely time of death six months prior to the discovery.
Progress was made in 2024 when the King County Medical Examiner's Office collaborated with Othram, a forensic genealogy lab, to establish a possible family connection.
No further details about what might have happened to Joseph Louis Serrao Jr. were revealed.
