The Alameda County Sheriff's Office disclosed details of a case involving the identification of remains from September 2008 and July 2011, now confirmed to be those of a 20-year-old man who disappeared in 2007. According to a social media post by the Sheriff's Office, the identification was made possible by forensic-grade genome sequencing and the diligence of law enforcement agencies and forensic scientists.
After years of investigative deadlock, Esteban Pablo Pablo, last seen alive in Alameda County, has at last been given a name, and his remains are to be returned to his family in Honduras. A white or gray sock and a size 8.5 Vision brand "skateboarder" type shoe were found with the skeletal remains discovered in the Alameda Marina and later near the Embarcadero, but the cause and manner of death remained undetermined due to the condition of the remains found.
Othram's team employed forensic DNA analysis to build a comprehensive DNA profile suitable for genetic genealogy, offering a new direction in an otherwise stagnant investigation. The breakthrough came when the comprehensive DNA profile was developed, leading to potential relatives and confirming a genetic relationship through KinSNP Rapid Relationship Testing. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office acknowledged the collaboration with Othram and the California Department of Justice that culminated in this poignant identification.
Working tirelessly since the identification, Deputy Karen Easling and Sheriff’s Technician Brandi Foscalina from the ground up engaged with Pablo Pablo's family to plan his repatriation, which, with the help of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), has seen the infusion of critical funding for DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy science. According to the family of Esteban Pablo Pablo, who allowed their story to be shared, they eagerly await the homecoming of their long-lost relative, as mentioned on the Alameda County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page.
