Remains found on island in 1983 ID’d as woman who vanished in bay, CA cops say
More than four decades after skeletal remains were found on the shore of a California island, they’ve been identified, deputies say.
Using DNA testing, the remains were identified as Patricia Ann Hertel, of Tracy, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 25 Facebook post.
Solano County deputies responded to Simmons Island near the Rich Duck Club in Benicia after partial skeletal remains were found on May 14, 1983, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators determined the remains were human and initially thought they belonged to a man, deputies said.
Despite an investigation, the remains’ identity remained a mystery and were buried without a name, deputies said.
Decades later, the remains were exhumed when the case was reopened in July 2023, deputies said.
DNA testing showed the remains actually belonged to a woman, deputies said.
Over a monthslong investigation, investigators used a number of approaches, including “advanced DNA testing, forensic genetic genealogy, and forensic odontology,” to try to identify the woman, deputies said.
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.
Deputies said their investigation led them to identify the remains as Hertel.
Hertel vanished at age 39 in 1981, deputies said.
The fishing boat she was riding in with her boyfriend in Suisun Bay failed to return amid bad weather on Aug. 8, 1981, deputies said.
While searching for the pair, Hertel’s boyfriend’s body was found, and the sunken ship was discovered in Suisun Bay, deputies said.
After her body was never found, Hertel was presumed to have drowned, deputies said.
Hertel’s case is still open, as only some of her remains have been recovered, deputies said.
Benicia is about a 35-mile drive northeast from San Francisco.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Remains found on island in 1983 ID’d as woman who vanished in bay, CA cops say."
