DNA technology identifies remains found in Arizona in 2000

PHOENIX — Human remains that were found in Golden Valley in 2000 were recently identified using DNA technology, authorities announced.

Teenagers found the remains on Oct. 22, 2000, in a desert area near Verde Road and Burro Drive, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.

At the time, dental records were examined by detectives but yielded no findings.

On Feb. 24, the remains were identified as Dennis Craig Edmondson, police said.

Edmondson was reported missing on Feb. 18, 1998, according to authorities.

How did police identify the remains found in 2000 using DNA technology?

In January 2022, Edmondson’s missing-persons cold case was assigned to the office’s special investigation unit for further review.

Investigators created and distributed updated flyers encouraging community members to share any information they might have.

During the investigation, authorities believed the remains could be Edmondson’s and collected new DNA samples from family members to send to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) for review.

However, investigators had to request a manual comparison review after being informed that the DNA samples from the remains had degraded, making an electronic comparison extremely difficult.

Following the manual review, UNT Health informed investigators that the human remains were a match to the provided familial DNA samples, confirming they belonged to Edmondson.

With the discovery, the missing-persons cold case has turned into a death investigation as investigators explore the possibility that Edmondson did not die of natural causes.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact investigators at 928-753-0753, ext. 4408, and reference DR# 98-03894.

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