Authorities Identify Human Skeleton as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr. after 26 Years
Authorities identified a human skeleton found in a tent in Olympic National Park on July 11, 2000, as Joseph Louis Serrao Jr. this week. The case had sat under the file number UP11888 for nearly 30 years before DNA and forensic genealogy tied the remains to relatives.
The identification came after a 2024 DNA submission to Othram, a Texas company that works with law enforcement on cold cases. Genetic, genealogical and circumstantial evidence, including DNA analysis from first cousins on Serrao’s mother’s and father’s sides, supported the match.
Olympic National Park Remains
The remains were found inside a tent in a remote area of Olympic National Park near the Sol Duc River, alongside binoculars, a JanSport day pack, a saw and small or medium-size winter gear. Investigators moved the remains to the medical examiner’s office of King County, Washington, after the discovery.
A pathologist later determined the skeleton belonged to a man between 30 and 50 years old who had been dead for six months to four years. Investigators could not develop usable fingerprint impressions, which left the case unresolved for years and kept the remains listed in a national database of missing and unidentified people in the United States.
Joseph Louis Serrao Jr.
Serrao was originally from Hawaii and had a last known address in Washington State. His father, Joseph Louis Serrao Sr., died at age 65 in Hilo, Hawaii, on Oct. 27, 1993, a detail that now sits in the family history behind the identification.
Debra Flowers, deputy chief of the park service’s investigative branch, said, “This case remained unresolved for nearly 30 years, but investigators never lost sight of the goal of identifying this individual and finding answers for his family” and called the result “some measure of closure to those who have spent so many years wondering what happened to Joseph.” A family member, speaking on the family’s behalf, said, “The only concern is bringing him back home.”
Clallam County Findings
The Clallam County coroner’s office said the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and described the manner of death as a suicide. With the remains now identified, the long-running unidentified-remains case has a name attached to it, and the family can begin handling the person behind UP11888 rather than a database entry.
