A partial human skull discovered by loggers near a Sierra Nevada campsite in 1994 has been identified, officials say.
The remains found in Nyack were identified as belonging to George Krusely, who was born April 30, 1929, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said in an Aug. 27 Facebook post.
"While answers can’t bring back a loved one, we hope this identification provides some peace and brings an end to the uncertainty that has lasted for decades," Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said in a statement.
With little evidence, case grows cold
When the loggers stumbled upon the skull at Putt Lake on July 7, 1994, detectives "estimated the campsite had been there for quite some time, upwards of a year."
Deputies said they collected the remains, along with several pieces of evidence. With limited
evidence, investigators could not determine a cause of death for the man.
The man's details were ultimately entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a national database used to help find missing people and identify human remains, where investigators listed his estimated age to be between 50 and 60 years old.
Despite an investigation, the case grew cold.
Decades later, advances in DNA technology provided a breakthrough.
Investigators look to new technology to close decades-old mystery
In December 2024, the sheriff's office partnered with the California Department of Justice and Othram Inc., a company that performs advanced DNA and forensic genetic genealogy testing.
Placer County deputies sent evidence to Othram, where scientists created a "comprehensive DNA profile for the man," the company said in a news release.
In January 2025, the profile was sent to the Ramapo College for Investigative Genetic Genealogy, a college-based center that uses investigative genetic genealogy to solve violent crimes, identify human remains, and assist with wrongful conviction cases.
Genetic genealogy couples DNA testing with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles," according to the Library of Congress. Through genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine how people may be biologically related.
At Ramapo College, the team of staff and students "worked tirelessly to trace the genetic information," deputies said.
“The case was very challenging due to the Croatian and Yugoslavian ancestry of the unidentified,” Cairenn Binder, director of Ramapo’s IGG Center, said in a statement. “Low representation in accessible DNA databases and limited availability of genealogy records in some populations can make our research more complex.”
By tracing the genetic information, the team identified Krusely in December 2025 as a potential match to the DNA profile, the college said. The team continued their investigation, eventually identifying a living descendant for Krusely.
With help from the Lordstown Police Department in Ohio, investigators got a DNA sample from the man's descendant, Placer County deputies said.
The sample was a match to that of the unknown man, confirming the remains belonged to Krusely, who was last known to be in California in 1963. Deputies said it was not clear how long he had been dead prior to the loggers discovering his remains.
“No matter how many years pass, everyone deserves answers," Woo said. "The Placer County Cold Case Unit is proving that advances in technology can make a remarkable difference in solving cases that have gone cold."
With the advances in DNA testing and genetic genealogy, these techniques are "providing new hope in cases that have gone cold," according to the sheriff's office.
"Hope never grows cold," deputies said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Loggers discovered skull near Sierra campsite in 1994. Now, it's ID'd
