Coroner's Office Identifies Partial Remains As Missing Bay Area Man From 1984

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office identified a John Doe April 22 as a man who went missing in December 1984.

Coroner Robert Foucrault said they were able to match the DNA of partial remains to Brian Edward Jones, who was 20 years old when he was reported missing out of San Jose.

On April 15, 1985, the partial remains of an unidentified man were discovered in Menlo Park.

In partnership with the Cypress Lawn Funeral Home, the SMC Coroner’s Office exhumed John Doe 85-17B on October 26, 2023 and submitted a DNA sample to the California Department of Justice, according to the coroner.

The DOJ obtained a partial profile from the DNA sample and during a routine search of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) they were able to find a familial match between the profile and a sample submitted to CODIS as part of a missing person’s report from 2016, the coroner said.

The coroner said they received notice on April 22 of the strong evidence of a familial relationship and based on that DNA comparison they were able to positively identify the John Doe as Jones. The coroner said they searched for living relatives and notified next of kin on Tuesday.

Jones was last seen alive by his family on his way to work in December 1984, according to the coroner.

The California DOJ website stated he was last seen January 7, 1985 in San Mateo County.