ARLINGTON, Wash. — DNA helped solve the decades-old mystery of whose body was found along the Stillaguamish River in Arlington in 1980.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office identified "Stilly Doe" as Othaniel Philip Ames, also known as Otie, an 82-year-old man who went missing in 1980.
On July 23, 1980, a fly fisherman discovered human remains along the Stillaguamish River. The death did not appear to be suspicious and investigators initially thought the person may have drowned.
An autopsy was performed determined the person did not suffer any trauma. The death did not appear to be from drowning either, according to the autopsy. The autopsy did reveal severe coronary artery disease, which lead to the death being classified as undetermined and apparently from natural causes.
Detective Jim Scharf with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office began looking into the unsolved case. The body was exhumed in 2017 and nicknamed "I-5 Stilly Doe."
In 2018, the medical examiner's office entered Stilly Doe's DNA into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
From 2018 to 2021, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office ruled out numerous reported missing persons via circumstances, DNA comparisons and dental comparisons.
In 2021, the medical examiner's office began collaborating with Othram, a corporation focused on forensic genealogy, to obtain advanced DNA profiles suitable for genetic genealogy. Othram was able to obtain a DNA sample after multiple rounds of extraction, allowing the examiner's office to upload the DNA profile to another database.
Distant matches were found using the DNA sample, identified in the fifth to seventh cousin range. Genetic Genealogist Deb Stone was able to use the DNA profile and the matches to build a family tree, going back several generations, to find a match with descendants in Washington state.
Stone spoke with the descendants, and they mentioned they had an uncle who went missing in Arlington in 1980.
Ames' granddaughter agreed to DNA testing, which positively confirmed the match.
Ames was last seen alive in early 1980 after telling his family he would be traveling to California and Oregon.