He disappeared 46 years ago. Thanks to forensic genealogy, his family finally knows what happened

Steve Sotherden says he's been crying a lot since police called with an unexpected update to his brother's missing persons case a few months back. 

It's been more than four decades since Gary Frank Sotherden of Clay, N.Y., set off on an adventure in the Alaskan wilderness, never to be heard from again.

"There hasn't been a closure on it, because we always had hoped that perhaps he was still alive," his brother told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "But now we realize that that's not the case."

Alaska State Troopers announced on Friday that they have identified a skull found in 1997 by a local hunter as the remains of Gary Frank Sotherden.

The breakthrough came because of advances in the field of forensic genealogy, which combines DNA testing with extensive genealogical research using public records and genetic databases.

"Based on the shape, size and locations of tooth penetrations to the skull, it appears the person was a victim of bear predation," Tim DeSpain, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, said in an email to The Associated Press.

Police could not confirm the cause of death with certainty, but his brother said "it seems most likely that he died from being mauled by a bear."

Their parents died never knowing the truth, he said. 

"I think it would give them some peace, but also upset them very much about the brutal way in which he died,"  Sotherden said. "So in a sense, I'm sort of glad that they don't have to hear that."

'He was a free spirit'

Sotherden can still remember the last conversation he had with his brother. It was on the evening before he set out to explore the Porcupine River on the north side of the Arctic Circle, about 16 kilometres from Canada.

He asked him to come home instead.

"We hadn't seen him for years. And of course, he had made all of his plans and arrangements, and he was ready to fly in … and there was no way he was going to come home," he said.

"There was nothing more I could do at that time. He was a free spirit and had his ideas of what he wanted to do, and he did those things."

Gary Sotherden was familiar with the region, having previously worked on an Alaskan pipeline.

He flew up to the area with a friend. They'd planned to walk on either side of the river, then meet up at the other end. But Sotherden never showed up.

The police investigation turned up very little at the time. Sotherden's parents hired a mountain guide to search for him in 1977, his brother told the New York Times.

The guide found his glasses and his ID — but no sign of the man himself.

The Sotherdens did their best to move forward. They erected a gravestone for their son, with the inscription: "Lost in Alaska."

How they cracked the case

In July 1997, a hunter contacted troopers in Fairbanks, Alaska, and reported that he'd found a human skull along the Porcupine River, 13 kilometres from the Canadian border. 

Troopers who went to the area did not find any other remains. They shipped the skull to the state medical examiner's office as unidentified. 

Cut to April 2022, when the Troopers decided to reopen the case, citing "relatively recent successes in the department using genetic genealogy to identify unknown perpetrators and victims."

Police asked the medical examiner's office to submit bone segments from a number of remains.

"These bone samples then went through various laboratory processes to generate DNA profiles, which were then uploaded into public DNA databases," DeSpain, the State Troopers spokesperson, said. 

Investigators used genetic genealogy to make a tentative identification. But to confirm it with certainty, they needed a DNA sample from a close relative.

They reached out to Sotherden in December. With his DNA, they were able to close the case.

The 'tremendous value' of forensic genealogy 

It's not an unfamiliar story. In recent years, DNA matches have brought closure to several high-profile old cases, including in Canada.

That's in large part thanks to the growing field of forensic genetic genealogy (FGG).

"Even though forensic genetic genealogy may not be able to help in any/all cases, we are seeing the tremendous value in cold cases and more recent violent crimes being solved with the assistance of FGG as valuable tool," Nicole Novroski, an assistant professor of forensic genetics at the University of Toronto, told CBC in an email.

FGG differs from traditional DNA forensics by casting a wide net, she said.

"Traditional methods … compare the crime scene evidence DNA profile to suspects/witnesses/victims in a given case," Novroski said. 

"When using FGG, we are essentially just taking the DNA profile and searching in a database for any/all potential 'matches' to all other individuals in the database."

Those matches, she said, help researchers find matches with anyone who has any kinship. Then, through investigative work, researchers can build a family tree and narrow their search.

This research can make use of data from private genetic testing companies like 23andMe or Ancestry.ca when a user voluntarily uploads it to an open-source database like GEDmatch.

Novroski says it's important that anyone submitting samples or sharing their information understand how it may be used, and give their consent. 

"Informed consent, privacy and just a generalized understanding of how we utilize genetic data is fundamental to maintaining public trust in forensic genomics," she said.

Staying connected

Sotherden, meanwhile, has been thinking a lot about his brother, and his insatiable wanderlust.  He sees that same adventurous energy in his own son.

"Gary was the youngest son, and my youngest son had a lot of similarities. My wife and I were just talking about that today," he said

"Like my brother, he travelled all over the country, driving around in vans and doing things and experiencing the country before he finally settled down after a few years."

Asked what he would like people to take from his brother's ill-fated story, he stressed the importance of staying connected with your loved ones — wherever life may take them.

"When you're young, there are very difficult times you go through finding yourself and what you want to do," he said, choking back tears. "And we all need some help and support."