Found Deceased WY- Kyle Martin, 24, kayaking on the Hoback River, drowned 1995, body identified 2021 *Othram DNA*

[dotr]

JHNewsAndGuide.com
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...ins-idd-as-kayaker-drowned-in-wyoming-in-1995
Sept. 17, 2021
''Investigators say human remains found in a reservoir on the Wyoming-Idaho state line have been identified as a kayaker who drowned in a river in Wyoming in 1995.''
''JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Human remains found in a reservoir on the Wyoming-Idaho state line have been identified as a kayaker who drowned in a river in Wyoming in 1995, investigators said.

Kyle Martin, 24, was kayaking on the Hoback River when a companion lost his paddle. Martin went ahead but was never seen alive again.''

After 19 years, Palisades Pete is Identified
''In March 2021, Othram reached out to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and offered to assist with the identification of the victim, who had been affectionately nicknamed “Palisades Pete” by NamUs employee Janet Franson in 2014. The Bonneville County Sheriff's Office was able to commit $1000.00 towards this case. Othram partnered with long-time collaborators at SEMO Anthropology as well. Southeast Missouri State University anthropology students, led by Dr. Jennifer Bengtson, provided an updated anthropological analysis of the remains. They were also able to help fund the DNA testing through grant writing and fundraising efforts. The remainder of the funding came from the DNASolves Crowdfunding platform. Bonneville County Sheriff's Office and Othram are grateful for the support of everyone that contributed towards the crowdfunding campaign.

Othram then received skeletal remains from Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to produce a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown man. The Othram genealogy team conducted a genealogical search and produced investigative leads that were returned to Lt. Karl Noah. Interestingly, the investigative leads pointed to another case from the area, from years earlier.

This other case came from Teton County Sheriff’s Detective David Hodges in Jackson Hole Wyoming. Det. Hodges was aware of our case in Forensics Magazine and agreed there could be a connection to a missing person case from 1995. The victim, Kyle Martin, had drowned in the Hoback River while kayaking more than 20 miles upstream from the Palisades Reservoir on June 1st, 1995 but was never recovered. After entering Kyle Martin’s name in NamUs and obtaining a DNA sample from his family, investigators were able to confirm that the “Palisades Pete” bones discovered in 2002 were a match, bringing relief to a family who had waited 26 years for their loved one to be discovered.

About Othram Inc.
Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials''

 

[30Anne]

I am glad Kyle has finally got his name back. Rest in Peace

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The secret of 'Palisades Pete': How human remains found at reservoir were identified - East Idaho News

 

[MadMcGoo]

Rest peacefully now Kyle.

 

[Wilma_W]

This is a really nice, detailed article about this case:

26 Years Later, Teton County Sheriff's Deputy Solves Missing Person Case | Cowboy State Daily

I was wondering how they knew that he drowned if they'd never found his body - turns out they rescued his kayak and the body got away from them:

"Kyle’s submerged kayak had been lodged between several thick trees that had fallen in the river. The helicopter pilot had been able to dislodge a couple of the branches in a maneuver that was both death-defying and heroic, Hodges said.

It was also the first and only body never recovered by the search and rescue team.

“I did not expect Kyle to submerge almost as quickly as he emerged,” Hodges said. “He was on the surface for just a few moments and then he was just gone.”

Hodges had been waiting down river in a boat to grab the body after it was released and was within a boat length of Kyle when his body sunk. He’d jumped into the murky, fast-moving water in a wetsuit with his hook.

“We tried to do our best,” he said. “The water was chocolate brown and discolored. We were planning to reach over and grab the body, but he went under and disappeared.”