SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — After finding a body Lake Stickney in 1994, Snohomish County officials say they've finally identified who the person is nearly 26 years later.
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Cold Case Team and the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office say the body is that of Rodney Peter Johnson.
Johnson was last seen by family members sometime around late 1987 or early 1988 when he left on a camping trip, according to the sheriff's office.
On June 11, 1994, his body was found floating in Lake Stickney.
According to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner, his body was covered in adipocere - a soap-like substance. That indicates his body had likely been underwater for years.
Detectives believe he was killed in 1987 and his body was weighted down under water.
Johnson was identified using forensic-grade genome sequencing and genealogy.
Detectives are asking people to come forward with information, especially if they knew Rodney Johnson or his activities in the late 1980s, or know of his last known whereabouts.
This is the third break in Snohomish County cold cases in the past few months.
In July, a 62-year-old Bothell man was arrested in connection to the 1993 kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Melissa Lee.
In June, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office announced a woman murdered in Everett nearly 43 years ago was identified with the help of DNA technology.