Marjorie Linehan, who disappeared on Oct. 1, 1982, has been identified through new DNA testing as the source of a skull fragment recovered along Dry Creek in Roseville on Feb. 19, 1986. The fragment remained unidentified for nearly 40 years until testing by the California Department of Justice confirmed the match. Because only a portion of the skull was found, authorities cannot determine a cause of death and say the circumstances of her disappearance remain unknown. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office hopes the identification brings some measure of peace to Linehan’s family.
Decades-Old Mystery Solved: Remains Found After 1986 Flood Identified As Woman Missing Since 1982
Dec 11
Placer County Sheriff's OfficeMarjorie Linehan.
Authorities have confirmed that human remains recovered nearly four decades ago along Dry Creek in Roseville have been identified as Marjorie Linehan, a 49-year-old mother who went missing on Oct. 1, 1982. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office announced the identification on Dec. 9 after new DNA testing coordinated with the California Department of Justice produced a positive match.
Background
Linehan, remembered by family as a talented artist who enjoyed skiing, was reported missing from Sacramento County in 1982. More than three years later, on Feb. 19, 1986, first responders searching after a violent storm discovered a fragment of a human skull along Dry Creek in Roseville, roughly 20 miles northeast of Sacramento.
1986 Storm and Discovery
The 1986 storm caused widespread destruction in the region: at least 13 people died, a dam failed, mudslides closed highways, a tornado hit a nearby community and hundreds of families evacuated. The skull fragment was recovered during rescue and recovery operations related to that flooding and storm damage.
ShutterstockA wooded area in Roseville, Calif.
Identification and Investigation
For almost 40 years the fragment remained unidentified. As part of an initiative to revisit unsolved cases with improved forensic tools, the sheriff’s office recently sent the remains to the California Department of Justice for additional DNA testing. Officials say this testing produced a positive match to Marjorie Linehan.
Because only a portion of the skull was recovered, investigators cannot determine a cause of death. The sheriff’s office also noted that at the time of her disappearance, no foul play was suspected, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain unresolved.
“Our thoughts are with the family, and we hope this long-awaited identification offers them peace,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in announcing the match. The office also quoted Linehan’s relatives, saying, “Though decades have passed, her memory lives on in the lives of those who knew and loved her.”
What This Means
The identification answers one long-standing question about the origin of the remains found after the 1986 flood, but it leaves others unanswered about how Linehan vanished more than 40 years ago. Investigators say they will continue to review available information, but limitations of the recovered remains mean some details may never be known.
