DNA breakthrough identifies two men missing in Northern California for decades

Northern California authorities announced Friday that they have identified the remains of two men who went missing decades ago, resolving a pair of cold cases that had remained unsolved since the mid-1990s.

The men were identified as Charles Marrs and Gregory Hugh Oliver.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office credited the breakthroughs to forensic genealogy, a process that combines advanced DNA sequencing with traditional genealogical research to locate living relatives.

In May 1993, the 63-year-old Marrs fell into the Trinity River near the Big Rock River Access in Willow Creek. Despite an extensive search involving the California Highway Patrol and a Coast Guard helicopter, his body was not recovered.

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