Human remains washed ashore 6 years ago now identified as 33-year-old, WA officials say

Six years ago, human remains were found washed ashore in Washington, officials said.

They’ve recently been identified as those of a 33-year-old man, according to a Dec. 4 news release by DNA Solves.

Parts of the man’s remains were found in December 2017 and January 2018 near Four Mile Rock in Seattle, officials said.

A pair of Adidas underwear and Nike Air Jordan high-top sneakers were found with the man’s body, officials said.

The Seattle Police Department and King County Medical Examiner’s Office were not able to identify the man or his cause of death, according to a news release by the Seattle Police Foundation.

After police were unable to afford the $9,000 DNA testing, the Seattle Police Foundation launched a fundraiser to help solve the case, officials said.

The department sent the forensic evidence to a lab in Texas, and they built a DNA profile for the man, DNA Solves’ website said.

The first DNA testing showed one relative and a family tree with 15 other people, the foundation said.

Detectives traced the family back to Illinois and spoke to the man’s parents, who confirmed he had a pair of sneakers similar to those found near the body, the foundation said.

Officials were then able to identify the man as Paul J. Bossart, Jr., the release said.

Bossart moved from his home in Illinois to Seattle in November 2017 and “was not heard from again,” officials said.

Officials don’t know how Bossart ended up in the water.

“For our family, this ends many years of wonder and gives us closure,” Bossart’s family said in a statement.

This story was originally published December 5, 2023 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Human remains washed ashore 6 years ago now identified as 33-year-old, WA officials say."