Remains found in 2003 positively ID'd through DNA

The remains of a man found in Marion in 2003 have been identified more than 25 years after he first went missing.

A press release from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office on Monday states that the remains found in October of 2003 in the area of Redgate Road have been positively identified as Washington resident Steven Edward Gooch.

According to the release, the nonprofit DNA Doe Project has been working on the case with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office for the last three years. DNA Doe Project partners with law enforcement to investigate genetic genealogy to solve cases of unidentified remains.

In January, the group located several people who are possibly relatives of Gooch.

The Sheriff’s Office connected with one of those people, who said his son had left the area of Bothell, Washington in 1995 when he was 29 years old. He said his family had not heard from him since then.

According to the release, the DNA Doe Project compared this man’s DNA with the DNA profile of the remains and confirmed that he was the father.

“Our sincere condolences go out to the family during this time, and we hope that this identification will help bring closure to them,” the release stated. “We also hope to be able to provide more answers about the last days of Steven Gooch’s life.”