Human remains discovered on Bay Area beaches in 1999 and June 2022 have been identified as those of Walter Karl Kinney, a former banker who disappeared in 1999. According to multiple reports, the DNA Doe Project used genetic genealogy to link the remains found at Salmon Creek State Beach to Kinney's family.
Key Takeaways
Human remains found on Bay Area beaches in 1999 and 2023 have been identified as those of Walter Karl Kinney, a former banker who disappeared in 1999. The DNA Doe Project used genetic genealogy to link the remains to his family.
- Human tibia discovered by family searching for seashells at Salmon Creek State Beach in June 2022
- Remains found near Bodega Bay in 1999 also identified as Kinney's using X-ray records
- DNA Doe Project developed a DNA profile and uploaded it to the GEDmatch database
- Cause of death remains undetermined, with no further details on how remains became separated
The initial discovery was made by a family searching for seashells on Salmon Creek State Beach on June 17, 2022. They found a human tibia protruding from the sand that contained surgical hardware. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, which developed a DNA profile and uploaded it to the GEDmatch database in January.
Investigators realized that Kinney had been connected with another John Doe case before when partial remains found near Bodega Bay were determined to belong to him. Using X-ray records, investigators confirmed that the remains found in 1999 and in 2022 belonged to Kinney.
The DNA Doe Project presented the lead to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, which confirmed that “Salmon Creek John Doe” was Kinney. The cause of death has not been determined. According to CBS News, Sonoma Sheriff Eddie Engram thanked the nonprofit for helping put a name to the human remains found at Salmon Creek Beach.
Kinney's daughter described her father as 'smart, sensitive, almost to a fault,' saying 'this world was just too harsh a place for him.' The case is unusual because it involved identifying the same person in two separate investigations decades apart. Authorities have not released further details about how Kinney’s remains became separated and discovered at different times.
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