Workers found human remains in woods 2 years ago, WA cops say. Now they’re identified
.png "Timber workers discovered human remains in a wooded area in 2021 in Washington, deputies said. DNA testing recently identified them as Glen Michael Rudge, according to a Nov. 2 news release.")
Timber workers discovered human remains in a wooded area in Washington in 2021, deputies said.
DNA testing recently identified them as Glen Michael Rudge, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said in a Nov. 2 news release.
The skeletal remains were found in March 2021 near Winlock, deputies said.
A medical examiner said the remains belonged to a male between 18 and 30 years old and between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet, 1 inch tall, officials said. But an identification was never made.
There also weren’t signs of trauma on the body. The cause and manner of death was ruled undetermined, deputies said.
Authorities then submitted the case to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in October 2021, but Rudge was never identified, officials said.
In April 2023, forensic evidence was sent to Othram, a lab in The Woodlands, Texas, that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy, deputies said.
Othram created a DNA profile from Rudge’s remains. This helped investigators find one of Rudge’s relatives who submitted a DNA test to confirm the remains belonged to him.
Rudge was last heard from in 2018 when he was 25, officials said. He was transient at the time.
This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Workers found human remains in woods 2 years ago, WA cops say. Now they’re identified."
