After nearly four decades of remaining a mystery, a cold case has finally warmed up, bringing closure to a narrative that began with discovering skeletal remains in Muir Woods National Monument. In a recent announcement, the Marin County Sheriff's Office confirmed the identity of a man found in November 1982 as Sigvard Svensson, formerly of San Francisco. Svensson's remains had been unidentified for years, earning him the moniker Marin County John DOE 82-278. The key to solving this mystery lay dormant until DNA technology advanced to the point where it could provide new leads, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
The sprawling trees of Muir Woods stood silent witnesses to Svensson's undiscovered story since the day his remains were found near Deer Park Fire Trail. Clothing and physical characteristics were all the investigators had to go by then, with efforts to identify him turning up no leads. It was not until April 2018 that this case began to unravel slowly. Details were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP17746, as per the Marin County Sheriff's Office, and again, the trail went cold until the turning point in 2022 with the collaboration with Othram Forensics.
The breakthrough came from a partnership between the Marin County Sheriff's Office, CA Department of Justice (DOJ) DNA Lab, and Othram Forensics. Othram developed a full DNA profile from what evidence remained, and with financial assistance from the Roads to Justice program, Othram's forensic genetic genealogy team could finally offer new leads. This new genetic information was the linchpin in the case, allowing investigators to reach out to potential relatives of the unknown man.
A detective's work is to always follow the clues, no matter how vast the gap in time. These clues led to gathering reference DNA samples from possible relatives and comparing them with the DNA profile of Svensson. The results were conclusive, confirming his identity, as detailed in a report by the Marin County Sheriff's Office. Born on February 4, 1908, Svensson made his journey from Sweden to America in 1926, setting down roots in San Francisco.
