Summary

In October 2021, the skeletal remains of an unknown individual wearing a one-piece jumpsuit/fleece longjohns (likely an undergarment for a scuba diving dry-suit or a survival suit) were found after becoming entangled in a fishing net just beyond the boundaries of California's Monterey Bay. The remains were given to the Monterey County Coroner's Division in Moss Landing, California. Investigators determined that the remains were likely a man who was 35 to 50 years old. He was likely between 5'8" and 6'3" tall. He was found with five keys and two coins but no identification.

Despite an extensive investigation, including a thorough search by the Missing and Unidentified Persons Section of the California Department of Justice, the man could not be identified and the case went cold. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP99784.

In 2022, the Monterey County Cold Case Taskforce, which is comprised of the Monterey County District Attorney's Office, Sheriff-Coroner's Office, Monterey Police Department and is assisted by the California DOJ Bureau of Forensic Services, teamed with Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man.

Forensic evidence was submitted to Othram’s laboratory, where scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man. Othram's casework costs for the case were provided by the Roads to Justice (RTJ) program. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new leads in the case. These new leads were provided to investigators with the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the man. A reference DNA sample was collected from a relative and tested using KinSNP® Rapid Familial Relationship Testing, which allows investigators to infer kinship in both closely and distantly related individuals. This comparison led investigators to identify "Sandholdt Doe" as Jeffrey Lyndon Hulliger, who was born on May 30, 1960.

Hulliger was 36-years-old when he was lost at sea with a friend while fishing in Monterey Bay on January 14, 1997. His friend and boatmate, Greg Mitchell, has never been found. After the duo sent out a distress signal from their boat, “The Salmon Patty”, the Coast Guard attempted to locate the vessel, which was reported to have been taking on water.

According to newspaper accounts at the time, the Coast Guard launched a multi-day search with volunteers, two Coast Guard cutters, a helicopter and an airplane in an effort to rescue the men. Their boat was equipped with a life raft, two survival suits and an electronic satellite beacon. No signal from the beacon was ever received. Only debris was found, and both men were presumed drowned, but neither the boat nor their remains were located in the search.

Two years after Jeffrey Hulliger disappeared, his brother, who was also a fisherman, said in a newspaper interview that he tried to convince Jeffrey Hullger to not go out fishing for black cod that day because the weather was so bad. John Hulliger said he believed that his brother and Greg Mitchell drowned when their boat capsized in 18-foot waves off Point Reyes.

When it was discovered that Jeffrey Hlliger's remains had been floating around Monterey Bay for 24 years, he also became known as the "Ancient Mariner" a reference to the famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which recounts the experiences of a sailor who has returned from a long sea voyage. Hulliger's identification is also featured by the Cold Case Project of Monterey County, a non-profit dedicated to raising funding to solve cold cases.

Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves database. 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 unanswered for years.

This identification represents the 64th case in the State of California where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram.