A man was walking along a rocky, picturesque coastline in Trinidad Head, about 25 miles north of Eureka when he discovered something unusual and disturbing.
The unidentified man's discovery in February 1993 was part of the human skull he handed over to the nearby Fortuna police station.
To help identify the remains, police forwarded them to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, which took DNA samples and entered into the California Missing Person DNA Database and the National Unidentified Human DNA Index.
The remains were unknown until the sheriff's department announced this week that it would link the skull to the 1987 disappearance and the death of a 48-year-old woman from Trinity County. This finding was made with the help of third methodology testers and federal grants.
Kay Josephine Medin is also known as Kay Adams.
(Provided by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities believe the skull fragments are the third group of remains of Kay Josephine Medin, also known as Kay Adams, an elementary school teacher at Hyampom who disappeared from rural Northern California in 1987.
There are no witnesses, potential suspects or any authority that is classified as a cold homicide to the authorities. Her husband, Nickolas, died in 2018.
Despite discovering who killed Medin, the latest group of remains has not made progress, which provides another clue for law enforcement.
Law Enforcement Official Credit Rep. Jared Huffman (D-san Rafael) has provided a community project grant to help clear the backlog of cold cases.
In a short time, the sheriff's department and Othram, a forensic laboratory in Texas This specializes in genome sequencing that helps eliminate cold cases. The company claims it has helped resolve 47 cases involving unresolved murders, unknown remains or unresolved sexual assault kits.
The company uses its forensic-grade genome sequencing to construct DNA profiles of DNA samples from discovered skull fragments.
In September, Ortham provided new prospects for the sheriff's department on a possible identity including Medin's skull identity. Possible genetic relatives, including daughters, were included in the report.
Sheriff's investigators found the daughter, obtained DNA samples, and confirmed that the skull was Medin's skull.
Ortham said in a press release that Medin's case was the 63rd instance identified in California through his testing efforts.
Inquiries sent to Ortham and Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department have not been returned.
“While Ms. Medin’s case is tragic, I feel at ease with the rest of the community,” Hoffman wrote in an emailed statement. “Such funds to help resolve cold cases can bring justice to families and communities.
The Sheriff's Department said anyone with a Medin prompt should call investigator Mike Fridley at (707) 441-3024.
In the summer of 1987, Meiding disappeared while her husband was on a business trip.
Family property was searched, while friends, family members and her personal doctor were interviewed.
Medin's wallet and personal belongings were found in her home, and the Trinity County Sheriff's Office listed her disappearance as suspicious.
Report From the beginning, about 100 peoplemainly volunteers, searching throughout the faraway and Three-Year County of Woodwest.
The local sheriff admitted in an interview that he had run out of lead.
In November 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a pack of skeletal remains, and part of the mystery was resolved. Contains a letter indicating that it leads to more information, but the discovery is still a group of incomplete bodies.
The remains were about 45 miles from Medin's house in East Humboldt County, and 100 miles away were found on the shores of Trinidad Head.
