Man Missing for 40 Years Finally Identified — Family Gets Long-Awaited Closure
Remains of Missing Man Brian Edward Jones Finally Identified 40 Years After He Vanished — Details
A 20-year-old man from San Jose told someone he intended to jump off a bridge before going missing in the winter of 1984. He was never seen again.
The bones of 20-year-old Brian Edward Jones, who vanished from San Jose, California, in December 1984, have finally been identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office after forty years of speculation.
Authorities claim that some human remains found in an undeveloped area of Menlo Park on April 15, 1985, were definitively identified as Jones’s on April 22, 2025.
A 40-year mystery was solved when the identity was made utilizing cutting-edge DNA technology. The Coroner’s Office formally informed Jones’ legal next of kin of the discovery on May 20, 2025.
On October 26, 2023, the first DNA analysis got underway. The remains were exhumed by the Coroner’s Office in collaboration with Cypress Lawn Funeral Home, and samples were sent to the California Department of Justice.
A DNA profile of incomplete short tandem repeats was created and added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
Eventually, this investigation turned up a possible biological link to a 2016 missing person’s report.
Y-chromosome DNA testing was part of the additional analysis, and it improved the familial match. According to an official statement, advancements in forensic science were responsible for the progress.
When Jones was last seen in December 1984, his family filed a missing person’s report. His last recorded sighting was on January 7, 1985, according to San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office records.
According to reports at the time, Jones had made alarming remarks about planning to leap over a bridge and was emotionally upset as a result of a recent split.
Unidentified human remains were discovered in Menlo Park a few weeks after he vanished. However, it wasn’t until this year that a definitive identification was made because to time constraints.
The department’s long-standing goal of solving cold cases and giving families closure was discussed by Coroner Robert Foucrault.
“Records back then weren’t well documented so it takes a lot of work for my staff to do a lot of research and backtracking,” he stated. “As technology gets better, we’re able to get these folks identified.”
“I think it’s relief for the families,” Foucrault continued. Because they have resolved a case involving a loved one who has been missing for a long time, my staff members who worked on it feel that they did a good job.”
Although Jones’ identity has been verified, the cause of his death has not been ascertained by authorities.
Officials have not confirmed whether an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding his abduction and death has been renewed, and it is still unclear whether foul play was a factor.
After decades of silence, one family was finally given answers, while another had to start a difficult new chapter. A murder accusation has been brought against the mother of two who vanished last month after working at a pub in downtown Mississippi.
On Friday, April 25, 2025, Joyce Gomez, 38, was reported missing; authorities have confirmed her death. Her body was discovered by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, April 27, close to W Wittman Road.
The Pass Christian Police Department launched an investigation after Gomez failed to come home, and the finding came after an intensive search.
Gomez was last saw in the 100 block of Main Street in downtown Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, at approximately 10:52 p.m. on Friday.
She had been working at downtown Pass Christian’s The Whiskey Bar for hours. After finishing her shift, she was spotted boarding a truck with Brett Huntley Keel, her ex-boyfriend, according to her coworker Chris Langer.
“On Friday evening, Joyce and I worked at The Whiskey Bar in the Pass. In an April 27 Facebook post, Langer wrote, “She clocked out and then left the bar shortly thereafter with a patron we know.”
She didn’t come home, but it appears they went to the Bay afterwards. Tell the police if you see her after 10:52 p.m. He came to the conclusion, “She has two young children who are missing their mother and are unaware of what is happening.”
Keel and Gomez’s past relationship was verified by the police. Friends and coworkers became worried when she failed to return home to her two kids and aging father.
“I kind of had a feeling that she was gone,” Langer said in a video interview with WLOX News. A mother of two usually doesn’t simply up and go—she doesn’t depart on her own initiative.
Yes, it does happen sometimes, but generally there’s been another event. It was not her choice if she didn’t return home with her two children and her father there.
On Saturday, April 26, the Pass Christian Police Department formally declared Gomez missing and started working with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department to coordinate the search.
Two images of Gomez were made public that same day. One picture showed her wearing her long dark hair in a high ponytail and grinning. In the second, she was spotted with her hair loose, a white blouse on, and a silly star filter on her face.
On April 27, officers discovered Gomez dead close to W Wittman Road at around 11:25 a.m. Evidence finally showed where her body was found, and police said the inquiry had led them to suspect foul conduct.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office provided assistance in the operation. Law officials emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing and active.
Keel, 38, was taken into custody by the Pass Christian Police Department on Monday, April 28, 2025, in relation to Gomez’s passing. He was accused of tampering with physical evidence and first-degree murder.
His bond was set at $1,500,000 by Judge Diane Ladner of the Harrison County Justice Court. The coroner stated that although it did not seem she arrived at the place alone, her cause of death was not immediately obvious, according to a report from WLBT 3 On Your Side.
The public is still being asked for assistance by law enforcement. Contact the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898 or Captain Ryan Henry at (228) 363-6038 if you have any information.
The family received condolences from the Pass Christian Police Department, which also thanked all participating agencies for their support. Daren Freeman, the chief of police, also asked people to keep praying for those impacted.
Online tributes to Gomez have been flooding in. Desiree Sprunger sent a touching note on Facebook, saying, “Her lovely personality and heart will always be remembered! Her contagious grin and the affection she showed others were uncommon in today’s world.
We lost an excellent one. I’m extremely sorry for her family, especially her 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. Kindly offer up a prayer of serenity for her entire family and circle of friends.
Gomez’s passing has had a profound effect on her neighborhood. Authorities are still working on the investigation and are committed to provide her loved ones with justice and closure.
