A skull found in a remote part of Alaska’s Interior in 1997 belongs to a New York man who likely died in a bear mauling, state authorities said.<\/p>\n
Investigators used genetic genealogy to help identify the remains as those of Gary Frank Sotherden, according to a statement Thursday from Alaska state troopers.<\/p>\n
In July 1997, a hunter contacted troopers in Fairbanks and reported finding a human skull along the Porcupine River, around 8 miles from the Canadian border. Troopers who went to the area did not find any other remains, the agency said in a statement, and the skull was sent to the state medical examiner’s office as unidentified. The suspected cause of death was a bear mauling.<\/p>\n
DNA was taken from the remains in April, and cold case investigators used genetic genealogy to make a tentative identification. Troopers contacted a relative of Sotherden, who also provided a DNA sample, the agency said.<\/p>\n
That relative told troopers Sotherden had been dropped off “sometime in the early- to mid-1970s to go hunting” in the area where his skull was found, according to the troopers.<\/p>\n
The relative was notified of the DNA match in late December.<\/p>\n
The troopers did not immediately respond to questions seeking details, including Sotherden’s hometown and whether the analysis indicated the type of bear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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