More Bones Found In Olympic Park

Sun., July 16, 2000

From Staff

Even as bone fragments found in Olympic National Park were identified as the remains of a Seattle man, another set of skeletal remains was discovered, park officials said Saturday.

Skull fragments and part of a lower jaw found June 18 in the Hurricane Ridge area of the park were identified as remains of Douglas Gibbs, who was 33 when he was reported missing in September 1998.

Gibbs was identified through dental records by the King County Medical Examiner’s office and the Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, the park said in a release. The remains were confirmed as Gibbs’ on Friday, but the cause and exact timing of death remain under investigation.

Rangers believe the rest of Gibbs’ remains are buried under snow.

Meanwhile, rangers late Friday recovered skeletal remains from an off-trail area near Aurora Ridge, north of the North Fork of the Sol Duc River and about 20 miles southwest of Port Angeles.

A backpack was found near the remains but did not contain identification, the park said.

The remains were transferred to the King County Medical Examiner’s office for identification.

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