Genetic genealogy helps identify skull found near Copper Mountain in 2016

Genetic genealogy helped identify the remains found in the Sky Chutes in the Ten Mile Canyon across from Copper Mountain Ski Area in 2016. The remains have been identified as Jeffrey Lee Peterson, 57. 

In July 2016, hikers discovered a human skull in a heavily wooded area just outside of the "Y" avalanche chute near Copper Mountain in Summit County. Nearly a month later, searchers found additional skeletal remains and personal items nearby. 

A forensic pathologist determined the remains to be that of a white male, 30 - 50 years old, with strawberry blond hair. Damage to the skull was consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head from a Glock .45 handgun found near the remains. Items found with the body included a backpack with high-end hiking gear and clothing, but no form of identification. Investigators said the serial number on the firearm had been intentionally destroyed with a metal punch. A bottle of water and a tube of Blistex with a manufacture date of  2012 indicated the man most likely died in 2012.

"Our dedicated team built a research tree made from distant cousins that led us into Norway, Sweden, and Poland. None of the DNA matches shared any common ancestors which made our hunt that much more difficult," said team leader Missy Koski in a statement. "We knew we had found the right man in our tree when some old-fashioned Y-DNA research was combined with some new-fashioned research using DNA segment tools. This combination led our team to determine that we should be looking for a man with a Scandinavian father and a West Slavic mother."