Forensic testing links skull remains to Northern California woman missing since 1987
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- The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department announced earlier this week that a set of remains were identified through forensic DNA testing as belonging to Kay Josephine Medin, who had been missing since the summer of 1987.
- Othram, a Texas-based forensic laboratory that specializes in genome sequencing that help solve cold cases, used forensic-grade genome sequencing to construct a DNA profile of the sample that strongly suggests a link to Medin.
A man was walking along a rocky, picturesque shoreline of Trinidad Head, located about 25 miles north of Eureka, when he spotted something unusual and unnerving.
The unidentified man’s discovery in February 1993 turned out to be a partial human skull that he handed over to the nearby Fortuna Police Department.
To help identify the remains, the police forwarded them to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, which extracted a DNA sample and entered that into the California Missing Person DNA Database and the National Unidentified Person DNA index.
The remains were unidentified until the Sheriff’s Department announced this week it had linked the skull to the 1987 disappearance and death of a 48-year-old woman from Trinity County. The discovery was made through the aid of a third-party forensic tester and a federal grant.
Authorities believe the skull fragments are the third set of remains belonging to Kay Josephine Medin, also known as Kay Adams, an elementary school teacher from Hyampom, who disappeared from that rural Northern California community in 1987.
No witnesses, potential suspects or charges have ever filed in what authorities classified as a cold case homicide. Her husband, Nickolas, died in 2018.
Robert Castillo, 61, was arrested April 10 after DNA evidence allegedly linked him to the death of a 43-year-old Fresno woman and two sexual assault cases.
While there’s been no progress in finding out who killed Medin, this latest set of remains provides law enforcement another clue.
Law enforcement officials credit Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) for providing a community project grant designed to help clear a backlog of cold cases.
Within a short span, the Sheriff’s Department contacted Othram, a Texas-based forensic laboratory that specializes in genome sequencing that helps disentangle cold cases. The company claimed its assisted in solving 47 cases involving unsolved murders, unidentified remains or unresolved sexual assault kits over the last 90 days.
The company utilized its forensic-grade genome sequencing to construct a DNA profile of the DNA sample from the discovered skull fragment.
In September, Ortham generated new leads on the possible identity of the skull, which included Medin, to the Sheriff’s Department. Included in the report were possible genetic relatives, including a daughter.
Sheriff’s investigators located the daughter, obtained a DNA sample and confirmed the skull was that of Medin.
Ortham said in a release that Medin’s case was the 63rd instance of individuals identified in California through its testing efforts.
Lewis Randy Williamson found the body of 17-year-old Esther Gonzalez off of Highway 243 in Riverside County nearly 50 years ago. DNA now shows he was her killer.
Inquiries sent to Ortham and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department were not returned.
“While Ms. Medin’s case is tragic, I am relieved for the community that it has been brought to rest,” Huffman wrote in an emailed statement. “Funding like this to help solve cold cases can not only bring justice, but closure to families and communities. I’m proud we were able to do some of that in this case.”
The Sheriff’s Department said that anyone who has tips regarding Medin should contact investigator Mike Fridley at (707) 441-3024.
During the summer of 1987, Medin went missing while her husband was on a business trip.
The family property was searched, while friends, family and her personal doctor were interviewed.
Medin’s purse and personal belongings were found in her home, and the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office listed her disappearance as suspicious.
Reports from the time said around 100 people, mostly volunteers, searched throughout remote and woodsy Trinity County.
The local sheriff acknowledged at the time in an interview that he had run out of leads.
Part of the mystery was solved in November 1987 when the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office received a package of skeletal remains. A letter was included with directions leading to more, but what was found was still an incomplete set of remains.
Those remains were recovered in East Humboldt County, about 45 miles from the Medin home while the skull was discovered 100 miles away on the shore of Trinidad Head.
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