After 40 Years, Cold Case Finally Solved After Identifying Human Remains Through DNA

Human remains from a 1978 cold case have been identified more than 40 years later through advancements in DNA technology. The remains belonged to a certain Donald Grant Anderson who was originally from Minnesota, according to his family members.

Donald was said to have spent a short time in the state of Washington in 1977 before the Bellevue Police reported him missing. A year after that, during the month of May, his then unidentified human remains were found in Kittitas County near Westside Road, between Nelson and Cle Elum. Since 1978, Donald remained gone.

A forensic pathologist and an odontologist in Wenatchee who aso studied the deceased being was unable to identify the remains at the time due to insufficient resources. Thus the case grew cold over the decades, Fox13 News reported.

Since then, the Kittitas County Sheriff's detectives continued the investigation to identify the resident skeleton who "has had no identity and no past... until now."

Development of DNA analysis

(Photo : Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP via Getty Images)
Researchers from the Auragen laboratory prepare the sequencing of human genomes to better identify rare diseases, in Lyon, central-estern France, on February 23, 2022. - Nearly 8,000 rare diseases have been identified to date and they affect about three million people in France, the vast majority of whom are children.

The moment the remains were found and sent to Central Washington University's anthropology department in May 1987, an analysis suggested the remains belonged to a 30 to 40-year-old woman who had been dead for 3-9 months. However, in early 2000s, results changed and a new DNA analysis revealed the victim was actually a man, not a woman.

When DNA sample of the remains did not match any records in the DNA databases of the time, the samples were passed along to the King County Medical Examiner where Washington's forensic pathologist, Dr. Kathy Taylor - who solved several criminal cases, including the Green River Killer murders - sent them to the University of North Texas Health Center lab for further examination.

The state forensic anthropologist who served the public with distinction and compassion passed away on August 1, 2021, Public Health Insider reported.

Also read: New Discovery Shows that the World's Oldest Mummy is from Portugal

40 years later

Kittitas County coroner Nick Henderson submitted the same DNA sample originally taken by the University of North Texas for comparison in a forensic genealogy database way back 2020 and used a wider spectrum of DNA information to identify close or distant relatives, like that used by Ancestry.com or 23andme.com.

DNA analysis is performed in US laboratories certified to meet Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards of 1988. A CLIA-certified lab must meet certain quality standards, including qualifications for individuals who perform the test and other standards that ensure the accuracy and reliability of results. The DNA Genetic Testing and Analysis above use leading technology to genotype your own DNA-a custom version of the lllumina Global Screening Array.

Months later in December 2021, a possible sibling from 1978 was identified. The coroner has contacted the siblings and other family members of the deceased and confirmed the remains to have belonged to that of Donald Grant Anderson, who has been missing since 1977.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating the circumstances into Anderson's death.