A human jawbone and teeth that were found on a California beach in 1984 have now been identified.

Through advanced DNA testing, the skeletal remains have been matched with Donald Scott Reich, who drowned in a boating accident years before, said Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Why It Matters

The case is an example of how modern DNA technology is being used to solve decades-old mysteries.

What To Know

The partial skeletal remains were discovered on Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard, in May 1984.

The Medical Examiner was only able to determine that they had belonged to an adult man between the ages of 19 and 99 years old, and the man came to be known as Ventura County John Doe.

An early DNA profile entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in 2006 yielded no matches to any

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