We were walking along the rocky, picturesque coastline of Trinidad Head, about 25 miles north of Eureka.
The discovery of the unidentified man in February 1993 was revealed to be a partial human skull that he handed over to a nearby Fortuna Police Station.
To identify the bodies, police transferred them to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, extracted DNA samples, and entered them into the Californian Missing Persons DNA Database and the DNA Index of Unidentified Persons nationwide.
The body was unidentified until the Sheriff’s Department announced this week that it linked the skull to the death and death of a 48-year-old Trinity County woman. This discovery was made with the help of third-party forensic testers and federal grants.
Kay Josephine Medine was also known as Kay Adams.
(Commentary of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities believe the skull fragments are the third set of bodies belonging to Kay Josephine Medine, also known as Kay Adams, an elementary school teacher from High Anpom, who disappeared from rural Northern California communities in 1987.
No witnesses, suspects or charges have ever filed anything that authorities classify as cold case homicide. Her husband, Nicholas, passed away in 2018.
While there has been no progress in finding the person who killed Medin, this latest set of remains provides another clue to law enforcement.
Law enforcement officials are credit lawmakers for Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) for providing community project grants designed to clear the cold case backlog.
Within a short period of time, the Sheriff’s Office contacted Oslam, a Texas-based forensics laboratory. It specializes in genome sequencing that helps to solve cold cases. The company allegedly helped resolve 47 cases over the past 90 days, including unsolved murders, unclear bodies, or unsolved sexual assault kits.
The company utilized forensic grade genome sequencing to construct DNA profiles of DNA samples from discovered skull fragments.
In September, Orthom created a possible skull identity with the Sheriff’s Department, including Medin. The report included a possible genetic relative, including hereditary.
Sheriff’s investigators found the daughter, obtained a DNA sample, and confirmed that the skull was a Medin sample.
In the release, Ortham said that in the case of Medien, it is the 63rd instance of an individual identified in California through testing efforts.
The enquiries sent to Orsum and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office were not returned.
“Medin’s case is tragic, but I feel at ease for the community that it has come to rest,” Huffman wrote in an emailed statement. “This kind of funding to resolve cold cases can not only bring justice, but also be closed to families and communities. We are proud to have been able to do some of that in this case.”
The Sheriff’s Department said anyone with tips about Medin should contact investigator Mike Fridley at (707) 441-3024.
In the summer of 1987, Medin went missing while her husband was on a business trip.
The family’s property was searched and friends, family and her private doctor were interviewed.
Medin’s wallet and personal belongings were found at her home, and the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office listed her loss disappearance as suspicious.
Reports from the time showed that around 100 people, mostly volunteers, searched remotely and across the Trinity County in Woods.
The local sheriff admitted in an interview at the time that he had exhausted his lead.
Part of the mystery was resolved in November 1987 when the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a package of skeletal bodies. The instructions that led to more included letters, but what was found was a set of still incomplete ruins.
These bodies were recovered in East Humboldt County, about 45 miles from Medin’s home, and the skulls were found 100 miles away on the coast of Trinidad Head.
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