Missing banker’s remains ID’d — again — after beach discovery in decades-old unsolved mystery

March 30, 2026

DNA Doe Project identified human remains found on Salmon Creek Beach as Walter Kinney, a man missing since 1999, in a rare double-identification case.

A grim discovery by a family searching for seashells along a Northern California beach has unraveled a decades-old mystery — one so unusual investigators say the same man was identified twice.

Human remains found in 2022 along Sonoma County’s Salmon Creek State Beach have been identified as Walter Karl Kinney, a 59-year-old former banker from nearby Santa Rosa who vanished in 1999, DNA Doe Projectremains became separated and discovered decades apart.

Officials also have not said whether the case remains open or if the investigation has been formally closed.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for comment.