The Brief
- Human remains found in Lacey in 2009 have been identified as Donald Myrel Nelson.
- Nelson was reported missing in 1989, just before his 29th birthday.
- Investigators are still working to determine the cause of his death.
THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. – Human remains discovered in a Lacey have been identified as Donald Myrel Nelson, solving part of a 35-year-old cold case that began with his 1989 disappearance.
Human remains found in Lacey, WA in 2009
The backstory:
According to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), the skeletal remains were found in a field near Meadows Elementary School on April 30, 2009. The body was wearing Levi’s jeans, boxer shorts and knee-high white athletic socks with a green Nike logo.
Despite traditional forensic efforts, authorities were unable to identify the unknown man. The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2011 and remained open.
How scientists identified Donald Myrel Nelson
In 2025, the TCSO and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office submitted the remains to Othram, a Texas-based forensic sequencing lab that specializes in challenging identification cases.
Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a DNA profile and shared it with the company’s forensic genetic genealogy team to search for possible relatives. …