Nearly 55 years after human remains were discovered on a mesa outside of Boulder, the Boulder County Coroner’s Office has identified the man who died as 22-year-old Douglas Sumner.
The office is now asking the public to help find the man’s surviving family members so they can be notified.
Sumner’s remains were found Aug. 21, 1971, on the upper northern rim of Blue Mesa in Bluebell Canyon, according to a . Sumner was found without any obvious injuries or trauma, and officials believed he had been dead for three to five days, according to a .
Both the cause and manner of Sumner’s death remain undetermined, according to Boulder County Deputy Coroner Kolleen Hancock.
Investigators identified Sumner using fingerprint analysis after a recent review of the cold case determined that method could be helpful, Hancock said in an email to the Daily Camera.
Officials ask that anyone with any information contact the Coroner’s Office at 303-441-3535.
“Every identification represents more than the resolution of a case, it is an opportunity to provide answers to families, restore a person’s identity and fulfill our commitment to those we serve,” the release states.
Identifying people who have died can often take years or decades of work, and advancements in DNA analysis and investigative genetic genealogy have made it possible to identify individuals who may have otherwise remained unidentified, according to the release.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
