Two John Does identified after decades of uncertainty

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 14, 2026

UPDATED — Grays Harbor County Coroner George Kelley appeared at Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting to make a major announcement. Two sets of remains in separate decades-long cold cases have been identified.

“I don’t get this opportunity very often to speak on something like this, I’m very excited,” Kelley said. “We are ecstatic to close the chapter for these two families and let them know that their loved ones have been found.”

After 30 years, the remains of a man found on a beach in Ocean Shores have been identified as Bruce Joel Andrews, born in 1948, the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office announced via press release.

In May 1995, a human jaw bone was found on the beach at Damon Point. The Ocean Shores Police Department and the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office responded to collect evidence and investigate. They determined the jaw bone had washed up on the beach and there was no way to identify the person or even confirm their gender.

Despite a lengthy investigation, the case went cold and the person became known as Ocean Shores Doe (1995). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP13642.

Recently, the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office and the King County Medical Examiner submitted forensic evidence to the DNA examination company Othram located in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the person.

This investigation led to the positive identification of Bruce Joel Andrews born on Dec. 16, 1948. Andrews went missing while fishing at the Westport jetty on July 30, 1974. He was 25 years old.

In the second case, also announced via press release, after 20 years, the remains of a man found in Taholah have been identified as Edwin Asher, born in 1934. In November 2006, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found on a beach on the Quinault Indian Reservation.

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office and the Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. They determined the remains were of an adult male, likely aged 20 to 60 years old or older. The man was about 5’ 9” tall and weighed an estimated 170 to 180 pounds.

Despite a lengthy investigation, the man could not be identified and became known as Grays Harbor County John Doe (2006). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP139985.

In 2025, the Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office and the King County Medical Examiner submitted forensic evidence to Othram.

This investigation led to the positive identification of Clarence Edwin “Ed” Asher, who was born on April 2, 1934.

Asher was declared legally dead in 2006 after he was presumed to have drowned while crabbing in Tillamook Bay, Oregon, on Sept. 5, 2006. Born in Salem, Asher was raised in Astoria and moved to Fossil, Oregon in 1952 where he was a lineman for the Fossil Telephone Company, until retiring in 1995. He also opened the Asher’s Variety Store in 1965. He was also a past mayor of Fossil, Oregon. He was 72 when he died.

In both instances, Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement. Using this new information, follow-up investigations were conducted leading investigators to potential relatives. Reference DNA samples were collected from relatives and compared to the DNA profiles of the unidentified remains.

These cases represents the 43rd and 44th in the state of Washington where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves (https://dnasolves.com/cases/us/washington/) to learn about other Washington cases where your support can help bring long-awaited answers to families. Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves database (https://www.dnasolves.com/user/register/). Expanding the pool of available DNA data increases the likelihood of successful identifications, helping to reunite families with their missing loved ones and resolve cases that have remained unsolved for years.