Juneau police say DNA has identified human remains found in the Gastineau Channel more than 20 years ago. The State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Thursday they are the remains of Darryl Bruce Fawcett, who has been missing since 1999.
Fawcett was homeless in Juneau when he stopped contacting his family in September of 1999, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System or NamUs.
In 2004, a diver found human remains 83 feet underwater near Juneau’s downtown cruise docks and Merchant’s Wharf, according to a JPD release. The remains have been in the State Medical Examiner’s Office since, but could not be identified with the available technology.
The release says that in July, the medical examiner’s office began using new technology that can extract DNA profiles from bones and teeth. This allowed Fawcett to be identified.
NamUs shows four other sets of unidentified human remains found in Juneau between 2001 and 2017.
Fawcett was 28 years old when he was reported missing. Police say his family has been notified.
