Overview
- Ventura County officials announced that partial remains found on Silver Strand Beach in 1984 have been identified as Donald Scott Reich, 33.
- Othram Labs in Texas used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to develop a DNA profile from the jawbone, and investigators verified the result with a relative’s sample.
- The finding resolves a long-running John Doe case and connects the remains to Reich’s 1978 death at sea near Ventura County.
- Investigators report the boat likely lost power during a late-night engine test, with wreckage later spread across more than a mile at Mandalay Beach and the other man’s body located offshore.
- Coverage notes a discrepancy in the published name of Reich’s companion, reported as Mike Gay in one outlet and Michael Gray in another.