Summary
In July 2022, the partial remains of an unidentified individual were discovered in Kalama, Washington. Kalama is located in Cowlitz County, Washington and is only a short drive away from the Oregon state line. The partial skeletal remains were found on the beach of the Columbia River near the 300 block of Tidewater Drive. It was determined that the remains were that of a male. No other information could be determined about the individual.
Details of the cases were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP95242. The Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office listed details of the case on their website, referring to the case as “Kalama Tide Water Skeletal Remains”.
In October 2022, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office once again partnered with Othram in hopes that advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help to identify the man. Skeletal remains were sent to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists developed a suitable DNA extract from the forensic evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile. The profile was used by Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team to produce investigative leads, which were returned to law enforcement.
Using these leads, a potential identity of the man was determined. In a follow-up investigation, investigators used dental records to identify the man as Barry Michael Rezansoff of the Portland, Oregon area. Barry was born March 13, 1967 in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Barry was reported missing in January 2022 following an undiagnosed illness and the May 2020 death of his wife. While Barry’s partial remains were located in Columbia County, Oregon in June 2022, the remains found in July 2022 in the Columbia River of Kalama, Washington were also determined to belong to Barry.
The identification of Barry Rezansoff represents the twenty-seventh case in the state of Washington where local law enforcement has identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in Cowlitz County, 55-year-old Bryan M. Heinrich, Sr was identified after his remains were located in the Cowlitz River in 2022.
Michael Vogen
Director of Case Management
Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.