Bone Found on California Beach Solves 26-Year-Old Fisherman Disappearance
Human remains recovered from Centerville Beach in Northern California have been identified as Jonathan Raxa, who vanished at sea in 1999.
A human bone discovered on a Northern California beach has provided a resolution to the 26-year-old disappearance of fisherman Jonathan Raxa. The remains were found on Centerville Beach in March and subsequently identified by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies recovered a human sacrum, or pelvic bone, from the beach and sent it to the California Department of Justice for DNA analysis. The resulting profile matched family DNA associated with Raxa, who was declared missing in December 1999. The sheriff's office announced the identification last Wednesday.
Raxa, then 37 and a father of three, was a crew member aboard the commercial fishing vessel Silver Spray. The boat was near the mouth of Humboldt Bay when an 18-foot wave struck, ripping the pilothouse from the main hull. Raxa vanished into the sea as the boat sank.
His skipper, Al Burns, previously told The Los Angeles Times that he watched crew members disappear into the water. Burns and two other crew members survived by clinging to a raft. Raxa was never seen again until the recent discovery of his remains.
According to KTLA, Raxa had been saving for an evangelical trip to Laos, his ancestral homeland.
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office highlighted the importance of DNA samples in resolving cold cases. 'These samples can provide critical investigative leads and assist law enforcement in identifying missing persons and resolving cases, even decades after a person’s disappearance,' the office stated in a news release. Raxa's family has been notified of the findings.