Advanced forensic science helped to finally identify the remains of a man found in the Oakland Estuary nearly 17 years ago, authorities said.
Esteban Pablo Pablo, 20, had been last seen alive in Alameda County in 2007, a year before his remains were first found in the estuary, the county Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday last week.
In September 2008, partial skeletal remains with a white or gray sock and a size 8.5 Vision brand “skateboarder” type shoe were found floating in the Alameda Marina.
In July 2011, more skeletal remains were found floating in the estuary near the 2000 block of Embarcadero on the Oakland side of the estuary.
The cause of death wasn’t known. Through DNA comparison, both sets of remains were found to belong to the same person, but an identification wasn’t made at the time, the sheriff’s office said.
In 2024, the sheriff’s office and the California Department of Justice began working with Othram, a company that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy.
Forensic evidence was sent to Othram, and the sheriff’s office said that forensic-grade genome sequencing was used to build a comprehensive DNA profile.
The company used the profile in a genetic genealogy investigation to develop new leads in the case. With the information, investigators conducted follow-up inquiries that led them to potential relatives of the unidentified person.
In late June, the remains were identified as belonging to Esteban Pablo Pablo, and sheriff’s officials are working to reunite the remains with his family in Honduras.
“Thank you to the family of Esteban Pablo Pablo, who provided the pictures above and allowed us to share his story,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “We hope to reunite them soon.”
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