Body found in Yost Park identified through forensic genealogy
April 24, 2019
Compiled by forensic artist Natalie Murry from remains, crime scene evidence and other information, this likeness of the deceased was released by Edmonds police earlier this month in the hope that someone would recognize it and come forth to assist in making an identification.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner has identified the body found last fall in Yost Park as that of 58-year-old Timothy D. Conrad of Snohomish County. The medical examiner had previously determined suicide as the cause of death.
“He was identified by matching his DNA with known databases, which revealed familial connections,” said Edmonds Police spokesperson Sgt. Shane Hawley. “Through these we were able to identify and work with family members for identification.”
Conrad’s body was found last Nov. 10 by a couple out for a walk in Yost Park. He had a campsite in the park and had apparently been living there for some time.
According to Hawley, he appeared to have been deceased for two to four weeks prior to being discovered.
Evidence from the campsite included a bicycle and several articles of clothing. Police also obtained an image from a neighbor’s surveillance camera taken Sept. 30 of a person matching the deceased’s description pushing a bicycle that appeared to be the one found at the deceased’s campsite in Yost Park.
After the body was found, police put out photos of the campsite, clothing items, his bicycle and the surveillance camera photo hoping someone would see these and help identify him. Then earlier this month, police released a sketch done by forensic artist Natalie Murry, compiled through analysis of an array of evidence including personal descriptions, skeletal remains and crime scene evidence. Unfortunately, none of these resulted in material leads.
Forensic genealogy, where preserved DNA samples collected during investigations are compared to records in the ever-growing body of DNA databases, has grown into a valuable tool for law enforcement. Even if an exact match is not found, investigators are now able to identify close family members and from these use existing statistical records to build a family tree leading to potential suspects. This technique has helped solve several recent high-profile cold cases, and most notably led to the recent arrest of an Edmonds-area man in connection with the unsolved 1972 rape and murder of 20-year-old Jody Loomis of Bothell.
— By Larry Vogel