Loggers Found His Skull 32 Years Ago. Thanks To North Jersey Students, He Has A Name

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A man whose skull was found by loggers in Nevada in the 1990s has finally been identified, thanks to a team of researchers and students at a college in Bergen County.

Alan Don Bishop's family reported him missing back in 1984, but they never knew what happened to him until earlier this year, officials said.

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Back in May 1994, the Carson City, Nev. Sheriff's Office began investigating after a partial skull was found in the Spooner Summit area, officials said. (Spooner Summit is a mountain pass linking Carson City to the Lake Tahoe area.)

Detectives couldn't find any other remains in that area, they said recently.

Analysis determined that the skull likely belonged to an adult man. There were no signs of trauma.

For 32 years, the case remained unsolved.

Then, the Carson City Sheriff's Office partnered with the Retired Investigators Guild and the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center to identify the man.

The IGG center, a certificate program at Ramapo Community College, has solved dozens of cases since its founding three years ago. Students, staff, and volunteers in the program use modern DNA technology to identify subjects. When students can't complete their work by the end of a semester, the rest of the team steps in.

In this case, Astrea Forensics, a forensic DNA testing laboratory based in Scotts Valley, Calif., took a DNA sample from the skull, developed a profile, and sent it to the IGG Center.

The team identified Alan Don Bishop — who had been reported missing in Salt Lake City, Utah — as the candidate.

Officials were able to take a DNA sample from Bishop's sibling, and it was a match.

"Alan experienced mental health concerns and was known to travel by hitchhiking," a Sheriff's Office spokesperson said. "His family last received contact from him via mail in July 1984, when he advised he was traveling to Oregon via California. Communication with Alan subsequently ceased, and his bank activity became inactive, which caused his family to report Alan missing."

The IGG team said in a statement, "Our thoughts are with the family of Alan Don Bishop, who has been identified after 32 years."

Sheriffs still don't know how Bishop's skull ended up at the logging site, though.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective B. Torres with the Carson City Sheriff's Office, Criminal Investigations Bureau (775) 283-7858, Carson City Dispatch non-emergency (775) 887-2008, or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900.

More information is here.