Skull found in rural Alaska ID'ed as missing New York man

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A skull found in a remote part of Alaska's Interior in 1997 belongs to a New York man who likely died in a bear mauling, state authorities said.

Investigators used genetic genealogy to help identify the remains as those of Gary Frank Sotherden, according to a statement Thursday from Alaska state troopers.

MISSING PENNSYLVANIA MAN IDENTIFIED 37 YEARS AFTER HIS SKULL WAS FOUND ALONG RIVERBANK

In July 1997, a hunter contacted troopers in Fairbanks and reported finding a human skull along the Porcupine River, around 8 miles from the Canadian border. Troopers who went to the area did not find any other remains, the agency said in a statement, and the skull was sent to the state medical examiner’s office as unidentified. The suspected cause of death was a bear mauling.

A skull found in rural Alaska in 1997 was reported to be that of a New York man who died in a 1970s bear mauling.

DNA was taken from the remains in April, and cold case investigators used genetic genealogy to make a tentative identification. Troopers contacted a relative of Sotherden, who also provided a DNA sample, the agency said.

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That relative told troopers Sotherden had been dropped off "sometime in the early- to mid-1970s to go hunting" in the area where his skull was found, according to the troopers.

The relative was notified of the DNA match in late December.

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The troopers did not immediately respond to questions seeking details, including Sotherden's hometown and whether the analysis indicated the type of bear.