Bone found in Arizona identified as Marine who died in California over 70 years ago

PHOENIX (AZFamily)—The mystery of a human bone found in Arizona years ago has been solved, but it has also led to questions about how it got here.

In July 1951, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Everett Leland Yager died in a military training exercise in the skies of Riverside County, Calif. His remains were taken to Palmyra, Mo., where he was buried.

Jump ahead a number of years, and a child looking to build a rock collection came across a strange rock while scavaging somewhere in Yavapai County, Ariz. It turned out to be a human jawbone.

After it was turned over to authorities, it became known as “Rock Collection John Doe” until January 2023. That’s when the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Yavapai County Medical Examiner referred the case to the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) Center.

With the help of the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City last May, researchers developed a profile that was uploaded to a portal supporting police and forensic teams with investigative comparisons, and FamilyTreeDNA, a Houston-based genetic testing company.

Summer Bootcamp students at the Ramapo College IGG took a look at the data in July and within two days, they identified Capt. Yager as the probable candidate.

IGG gave the information to YCSO, and last August, a DNA sample was taken from Capt. Yager’s daughter to compare the profile. Last month, test results established a parent/child relationship, confirming that the jawbone belonged to Capt. Yager.

That raised the question of how the remains of a man who died in California ended up in Arizona. IGG’s theory is that a scavenger, such as a bird, picked up the bone and brought it to Yavapai County.

Arrangements are now being made to return the remains to his family.

IGG added that Ethan Schwartz, a high school student from New York and member of last summer’s Bootcamp, is the youngest person to ever contribute to an investigative genetic genealogy case that was resolved.

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