LYNNWOOD—After it was announced on July 17 that a skeletonized cranium was found at Scriber Lake Park earlier this year, the Lynnwood Times reached out to Nicole Krueger, Operations Manager with the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office, to understand more about the case.

According to Krueger, the person who found the remains of John Doe, a transient male, walked off prior to law enforcement’s arrival and couldn’t be found for further questioning. Because of this, the actual condition the human skull was found in is unknown—buried or open and uncovered.

The delay in the announcement of a skull found in the south Lynnwood park was in part due to an attempt to positively ID the deceased person via dental records and then the lead time to create a forensic drawing.

Krueger shared with the Lynnwood Times that the agency has a “pretty good success rate” with solving cold cases.

“We’ve solved all but a couple cold cases,” she said.

Krueger added that cold cases are usually solved utilizing genetic genealogy technology and since 2018, the agency has solved 11 or 12 of its 15 cold cases.

The DNA from the John Doe will be uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) with the hope of finding a match. If there is no match in CODIS, the agency will likely hire a genetic genealogist to help with the case.

The Medical Examiner’s Office will store the remains until the John Doe is identified.

On March 24, 2024, a skeletonized cranium was found at Scriber Lake Park in Lynnwood, of a likely a black male estimated to be over 25 years of age and unknown height and weight. Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office believes the person to have been deceased at least one year.  The cause and manner of death have been undetermined.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying the remains. The drawing is by a forensic artist and is an interpretation of what this person may have looked like—hairstyle, hair color, and eye color are guesses.

If you have any information about this or any other case, please call the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office at (425) 438-6200. The remains of other unidentified persons can be found here.