Dennis Craig Edmondson was reported missing in Arizona on Feb. 18, 1998

Dennis Craig Edmondson

Dennis Craig Edmondson.Credit : Mohave County Sheriff’s Office

 

Arizona authorities have discovered a break in a 28-year-old cold case, identifying remains found 26 years ago as Dennis Craig Edmondson.

Edmondson was first reported missing on Feb. 18, 1998, according to a press release from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, March 3.

Teens originally found the remains on Oct. 22, 2000, in a desert area off of Burro Road and Verde Drive, the MCSO said.

The area, Golden Valley, is about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas via U.S. 93, per KLAS.

When the unidentified human remains were first discovered, the sheriff’s office Special Investigation Unit (SIU) investigators thought that they could be Edmondson’s, but dental records provided negative results.

The SIU was assigned the missing persons case in January 2022, prompting them to create and distribute updated flyers asking for more information about the case.

Dennis Craig Edmondson

Dennis Craig Edmondson.Mohave County Sheriff’s Office

At the time, new DNA samples were obtained from Edmondson’s family members and sent to NamUs (the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) for review.

“SIU Investigators were informed that the DNA samples from the unidentified human remains were degraded, making comparison of them to other DNA samples extremely difficult,” the MCSO said in its release. “Due to the difficulty of electronic comparison, a manual review of the comparison was requested by investigators.”

Investigators received confirmation from UNT Health on February 24 that the human remains were a match to the familial DNA samples that were provided, the MCSO added.

The Sheriff’s Office said that the case is now being investigated as a death instead of a missing person.

“Investigators are exploring the probability that Edmondson did not die of natural causes and are urging anyone who may have information about this case to come forward,” the press release said.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact SIU Investigators at 928-753-0753 ext. 4408 and reference DR# 98-03894.