Remains found tangled in a fishing line south of Marysville in 1979 identified through DNA

EVERETT, Wash. - The 1979 mystery surrounding a set of human remains that were found in a fishing line in Snohomish County has been solved through DNA testing. They have now been identified as Gary Lee Haynie of Everett.  

He was 29 years old when he went missing.  

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office says a duck hunter found the remains entangled in the line on the tide flats near Spencer Island, south of Marysville Washington.  The office says back in 1979, the coroners' office had listed him as a "John Doe" and determined the manner of death as "undetermined".    

A sketch was done back in 2016 that was created by a forensic artist, based on the remains.  

Despite the efforts of investigators and cold case detectives over the years, the person's identity remained a mystery until early 2021 when a section of femur bone was sent to Othram Inc. for testing.  The company specializes in DNA extraction and testing for hard-to-solve cases in which the DNA is contaminated or degraded over time. 

The lab created a DNA profile from the remains and the profile that could be uploaded to genealogical databases.  From there, Kristen Mittelman, Othram Chief Development Officer, says the DNA profile was then given to a genealogy investigator in Snohomish County who looked into potential family trees. 

The investigation led to Gary Lee Haynie of Everett. The medical examiner's office says DNA reference testing of Haynie's half-sister confirmed it was him. 

This picture has been provided of Haynie, showing him at a much younger age. 

"Honestly it doesn’t matter where it happens in this world, and we’ve worked internationally and all over the United States. It’s the most incredible feeling to know we can bring answers to these families who have been waiting decades to find out what happened to their loved one," said Mittelman.  

The medical examiner's office says that Haynie was born in Topeka, Kansas and traveled the world with his mother and adoptive father, who was in the Air Force. He loved the Beatles and played the piano. His parents have both since passed away and so far the circumstances of his disappearance are not known. 

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office thanked a number of individuals and organizations in an online post for assisting on the case.