Human bone found by family looking for shells on beach traced back to banker missing since 1999
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- A human bone found on Salmon Creek State Beach in California in 2022 was identified as belonging to Walter Karl Kinney, a man who disappeared in 1999, through the efforts of local authorities and the DNA Doe Project.
- Kinney, a former banker from Santa Rosa, was linked to the bone after forensic testing and genealogical research connected the remains to his family, resolving the mystery of the so-called Salmon Creek John Doe.
- Remarkably, Kinney had previously been identified as a John Doe from another set of remains found in nearby Bodega Bay, making this a rare case of one individual being identified twice as a John Doe.
- Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram expressed gratitude to the DNA Doe Project for their collaboration in identifying Kinney, emphasizing the importance of the partnership in solving cold cases.
- Kinney’s daughter described him as intelligent and sensitive, suggesting he struggled with the harshness of the world, providing a personal insight into the man behind the case.
