Charred skull, remains ID’d as California woman with Alzheimer’s who vanished after 2016 museum trip
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Remains were identified as Nancy Paulikas, 56, who went missing in 2016. (Facebook)
The charred partial skull and remains found on a California mountainside have been identified as a woman with Alzheimer’s who vanished during a museum trip in 2016, her husband said.
Nancy Paulikas was pronounced dead after authorities matched her DNA to the skull that was located in Fossil Ridge Park in Sherman Oaks while Los Angeles firefighters were battling a brush fire in March 2017. Ribs were also discovered in the fall of this year.
Paulikas’ husband, Kirk Moody, told the Daily Breeze that authorities identified the remains as his missing wife through DNA testing. He also confirmed the news in a blog post dedicated to his missing wife.
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“I heard from the police today that they have identified a skull and some ribs as positively matching Nancy's DNA. Her remains were found in a remote area around Los Angeles,” Moody wrote on Wednesday. “Thank you all for you continued interest.”
Paulikas and Moody were at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in West Los Angeles in October 2016 when the 56-year-old woman wandered off.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She was last spotted on surveillance video walking the streets near the museum, but she was never located. Paulikas was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2015 and reportedly had the developmental stage of a 4-year-old at the time she went missing. She didn’t have a jacket, wallet or phone at the time of her disappearance.
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The coroner marked Paulikas’ date of death as March 11, 2017 — the same day firefighters discovered a charred partial skull.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Paulikas’ disappearance began the program called L.A. Found, which provides trackable bracelets to those living with Alzheimer’s, dementia and autism to prevent another missing person case.
“For two years we have kept hope alive that Nancy would be found safe and could be reunited with her family. Her husband, Kirk, has been so brave. He has not only been unyielding in his search for his wife, but wanted to make sure no one else would have to go through what he did,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. “He is the reason that we now have L.A. Found, a countywide program to find individuals who wander using trackable bracelets. I want to thank everyone who continued the search for Nancy. May she Rest In Peace.”