Jonathan Raxa identified by DNA twenty-six years after his disappearance

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office announced the identification on September 16, 2026. This discovery ends more than twenty-six years of uncertainty regarding the fate of Jonathan Raxa, who was 37 years old at the time of his disappearance.

On December 14, 1999, Raxa was aboard the commercial fishing boat Silver Spray, at the entrance to Humboldt Bay. A large wave had swept away the wheelhouse and thrown several crew members into the water. The captain and two sailors were rescued, but Jonathan Raxa remained missing.

In March 2026, sheriff’s deputies were called to Centerville Beach after a possible bone fragment was discovered. Analysis confirmed it was a human sacrum. The piece was then sent to the county coroner’s office and subsequently to the California Department of Justice.

Investigators had located Jonathan Raxa’s son and collected a familial DNA sample. Registered in the federal CODIS database, the two profiles were found to be compatible, according to authorities. The family was notified after the confirmation.

The San Francisco Chronicle and People have reported on the circumstances of the disappearance and the identification. No new evidence has turned the case into a criminal investigation: authorities are confirming the identity of the found fragment without announcing any cause of death other than the disappearance at sea.

The sheriff’s office emphasizes that preserving familial samples can help solve missing persons cases even decades after the events.