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Jack Ashley Brooks Jr. Identified as Skagit County’s 1980 John Doe
A man found near Marblemount in 1980 has been identified as Jack Ashley Brooks Jr. What the DNA announcement establishes—and what it leaves unanswered.
Topics: Jack Ashley Brooks Jr., Skagit County, Forensic Identification, Missing Persons, Washington
The man found near Marblemount, Washington, in 1980 has been identified as Jack Ashley Brooks Jr., according to Othram’s November 6 case account.
From an unidentified grave to a name
The remains were recovered on October 6, 1980, in a shallow grave near the former Hurns Shake Mill on Concrete Sauk Valley Road. The case became NamUs UP13290.
After receiving remains in August 2023, Othram developed a DNA profile and genealogy leads. Investigators followed those leads to identify Brooks. NamUs funded the laboratory work.
The notice announces an identity but does not describe the final confirmation procedure, a cause of death or a suspect. It does not explain how Brooks died.
What a genealogy lead means
Forensic genetic genealogy combines DNA analysis with research into family relationships. A National Institute of Justice overview explains that it can generate leads when conventional DNA database searches have not produced a useful match. The genetic profile used for this work records single-nucleotide polymorphisms, usually shortened to SNPs.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s explanation of its own program distinguishes a genealogy lead from the subsequent forensic testing used to confirm it. That general explanation is useful context; Palm Beach County is not being identified here as a participant in the Washington case.
For a separate identification in which the final comparison was publicly described, see Willie Blanton Mills and the FBI fingerprint confirmation.
The photograph above the article is a 2025 view of the Skagit River at Marblemount, not evidence from the case. Photograph by Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0. The resized WebP is shared under the same license.
