Northern California Skull Found 32 Years Ago Identified as Missing Woman

A partial human skull found on a beach near Trinidad, Northern California, in 1993 was recently identified through advanced forensic genetic genealogy as belonging to Kay Josephine Medin, a woman who went missing in 1987. Initial DNA testing at the time failed to find a match, but in 2024, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office partnered with the forensic genealogy firm Othram to reanalyze the evidence using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing. The new profile led investigators to a close relative, and DNA comparison confirmed the skull's identity. Kay Medin, also known as Kay Adams, was a school teacher who disappeared from her Trinity County home; skeletal remains and an anonymous letter sent to authorities in 1987 had previously led to the discovery of additional remains identified via dental records. Despite a death certificate being issued in 1988, parts of her remains, including the skull, remained unidentified until now. The identification brings closure to a case that had remained unresolved for over three decades.