Man, 20, Vanished After Leaving for Work 40 Years Ago. His Remains Were Just Identified

Remains found in a California park four decades ago have finally been identified as a missing man who disappeared after leaving for work.

Brian Edward Jones was 20 years old when he was last seen on Jan. 7, 1985, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Family said they last saw him in December 1984 as he left for work, FOX affiliate KTVU reported.

Authorities said Jones “was very despondent” following a break-up with his girlfriend, and “made statements that he was going to jump off of a bridge.”

Four months later, partial remains were found in Menlo Park, according to KTVU and ABC affiliate KGO-TV.

The remains were exhumed in October 2023, KTVU and Patch reported.

The DNA was reportedly submitted to the Combined DNA Index System, an FBI-maintained database, and later showed a possible biological relationship between the remains found in Menlo Park and a sample submitted as part of a 2016 missing person report.

In April 2025, the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office learned there was a strong familial relationship between the aforementioned samples.

After additional testing, the agency announced on Friday, May 23, that the remains found in Menlo Park belonged to Jones. It remains unclear how he died.

Coroner Robert Foucrault applauded his staff for the hard work they did on the case, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal.

“For my staff that worked on it, it’s a job well done because they’ve put closure on a case for someone’s loved one that’s been missing for a long time,” he said.

The coroner’s office also said it is becoming easier to identify previously unidentified remains and bring “relief” to families as technology improves.

“Records back then weren’t well documented so it takes a lot of work for my staff to do a lot of research and backtracking,” Foucrault said.

The coroner’s and sheriff’s offices did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.