DNA technology identify skeletal remains as man missing since 1996

Nearly 15 years after skeletal remains were found at a Redmond construction site, police announced on Monday that they have identified them as a man who has been missing since 1996. 

Redmond police said the remains have been identified as Douglas Virgil Prieser III. He was 30 years old at the time of his death. 

On June 25, 2007 a construction crew found the remains while working at a building site near the 15500 block of 68th Court. Detectives said they had been there "for quite some time." 

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DNA technology identifies human remains found in Montana as missing Bothell man

Remains that were found in Montana in 2003 have been identified as a missing Bothell man. 

According to police, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the remains belonged to a white man, who was younger than 50 years old. After going through missing and unidentified persons reports and dental records, the case went cold. 

In late 2021, a Redmond detective started working with a genetic genealogist and through DNA technology, the genealogist identified the remains in April 2022.

"We believe every person deserves to return to their family," Mitchell said. "We hope this will bring some closure to a tragic chapter in his family’s life."

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Priester was last seen in 1996 but he didn’t have a reported permanent address during the time of his disappearance.

Police said the circumstances and the manner of his death have not been determined. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Redmond Police Department at 425-556-2500.