The human skull found on California Beach in 1993 was identified as belonging to a beloved school teacher who disappeared without a trace in 1987.
The decades of case breakthrough came after advanced DNA tests matched samples provided by their daughters with 48-year-old Kay Josephine Medin.
The identification is made possible by forensic genealogy company Othram, which specializes in solving cold cases using DNA analysis, Krcr Report.
“This week, Josephine Medin’s relatives have been answered for 32 years since their disappearance. I hope this discovery will help them find peace and closure,” the U.S. representative Jared Huffman wrote on X.
Medin, a teacher at Hyampom School, last appeared on August 3, 1987, when her husband Nickolas Medin returned home from a work trip and found she was missing.
Her wallet and other “personal property” were found in the residence, indicating that she intends to return.
However, despite extensive searches by local volunteers over the rough terrain surrounding the house, there was no sign of missing school teachers.
A few months later, in November 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) received an anonymous package containing some of Medin’s skeletal remains.
The package also includes an anonymous letter that will investigate other remains near Ammon Ridge Road in eastern Humboldt County – about 45 miles from her home.
Decades of case breakthroughs come after advanced DNA tests match skulls to 48-year-old Kay Josephine Medin
In February 1993, the Fortuna Police Department contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and reported that part of the human skull of a woman was found on a beach near the Trinidad Head – about 100 miles from the Medin’s home. Photo: Trinidad Beach in Humboldt County, California
Medin is a teacher at Hyampom School, last time on August 3, 1987, when her husband Nickolas Medin returned home from a work trip and found out she was missing
The remains were positively confirmed through dental records, but the cause of her death remains uncertain and no suspects were arrested.
In 1988, Medin issued a death certificate, but she was still listed as missing because she had no complete physical recovery.
A few years later, in February 1993, the Fortuna Police Department contacted the HCSO and reported that a woman’s partial human skull was found on a beach near the head of Trinidad – about 100 miles from the Medin home.
However, until recent DNA tests confirmed its identity, the mysterious skull remained unknown.
How the body of the beloved teacher was scattered in such a wide range of places is unclear, and her death has since been considered a homicide.
Medin’s husband reported missing and was not considered a suspect when he died in 2018.
The case reopened only after Hoffman received federal funds to help clear the backlog of unidentified remains.
HCSO uses the funds to submit the mysterious skull to the Oslam Laboratory in Woodlands, Texas to determine whether DNA testing can generate new information.
A few months later, Othram provided investigators with new potential clients, including the possible identities of the owner of the skull.
The findings resulted in subsequent studies and identification of potential relatives.
The California Department of Justice compared the DNA of relatives to profiles developed from the skull, confirming that it belonged to Kay Josephine Medin – also known as Kay Adams when it was reportedly missing in 1987. dnasolves.com.
Investigators continue to seek answers in a bid to reveal the truth behind Medin’s disappearance and death. Anyone with information is urged to contact Humboldt County Investigator Mike Friedley at 707-441-3024.
