Aug 6, 2025-Doug's remains found and identified
www.moabtimes.com
<<Drexler noted the remains found in one case were located close to where Doug Svendson was last known to live — Willits, California, where his mother owned an undeveloped 40-acre parcel.
Willits, known as the “Gateway to the Redwoods,” is in Mendocino County in Northern California and is also part of the Emerald Triangle, a tri-county region that has long been the largest marijuana cultivation area in the U.S.
Two worries came to Drexler’s attention when he opened the cold case: One was that Svendson had been camping on his mother’s acreage; the other was that the parcel sat between two marijuana grow operations, which were illegal at the time.
The remains were found off of Highway 101 just outside of Willits and about 17 miles from Doug’s campsite on his mother’s property. They went undiscovered for a while because they were off the highway and down a ravine. The skeleton was not complete.
Although the partial skeleton was found in 2004, DNA was not extracted from a femur until late 2024 at Drexler’s request. He then asked David Svendson for a DNA sample to match.
David consented and the analysis showed it was a “presumptive yes,” meaning “probably this is your guy,” said Drexler.
But California, said Drexler, does not accept a presumptive yes finding as sufficient to prove a match. The detective approached Emily Svendson and she agreed to provide a sampling. DNA from parent to child or vice versa is much more dependable because every child has at least 50% of that parent’s DNA. Siblings, on the other hand, also share an average of 50% of their DNA, but through variations, the specific genetic material inherited is random and potential ambiguity can arise when comparing sibling DNA.
Drexler called David on July 21 to tell him his mother’s DNA sample proved the remains were Doug’s. “One hundred percent,” he said. “We knew we solved it. The outcome was sad, but I think it will bring them some closure,” said Drexler.>>
<<Both Drexler and David believe Doug was killed by a driver in a hit-and-run accident. Remarkably, Doug was previously struck by a vehicle on the same highway, 101, which cuts through Willits into the Redwood National Forest. He was hospitalized in that first incident, which occurred inside city limits.
David said his brother likely didn’t survive the second accident because he was outside the town limits where highway speeds were higher. Whoever it was that hit him didn’t stop.>>
