Remains found by hikers in Arizona desert are now ID’d as missing man, reports say
Human remains hikers found in a remote Arizona desert two years ago have been identified as a missing man, reports say.
DNA helped identify the remains as Christopher Canning, 60, of Golden Valley, who was reported missing by family in May 2021, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 4 Facebook post.
The remains were found in a remote area of Golden Valley in October 2021, the sheriff’s office said.
The Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the remains belonged to a male but could not learn much more about the remains, such as height or weight, “due to the condition of the remains,” Othram Inc., the forensic genealogy company that helped identify the remains, said in an Aug. 2 news release.
The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in 2022, Othram said. However, with few leads to go off of, the man’s identity remained a mystery.
Deputies said a piece of the remains was sent to Othram in March 2023 in hopes the company could identify them using genetic genealogy.
Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles,” according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.
Othram said it helped provide deputies “new investigative leads,” which were used to move the investigation forward.
In July, the remains were positively identified as Canning, the sheriff’s office said.
While his cause of death could not be determined, deputies said his death is not believed to be suspicious.
Golden Valley is near the Nevada border, about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
This story was originally published August 4, 2023 at 8:07 AM with the headline "Remains found by hikers in Arizona desert are now ID’d as missing man, reports say."
