Partial skeletal remains found in 1983 along the shoreline in Benicia were recently identified as Patricia Ann Hertel, who drowned in 1981. Initially, the remains were thought to be male and went unidentified until a 2023 investigation by the Doe Cold Case Project led to their exhumation and retesting. Advanced DNA techniques revealed the remains were female. Hertel was last known to be aboard a fishing boat that sank in Suisun Bay; her boyfriend's body was recovered, but her disappearance remained a cold case until now. Her missing persons case is still active.
"After more than 40 years, using advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy, the remains have been positively identified as Patricia Ann Hertel, who was presumed drowned in 1981."
"The body of Hertel's boyfriend was recovered several days later, but Hertel was never located and was presumed drowned after the boat sank during bad weather."
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