Authorities in Riverside County have finally identified an 18-year-old passenger killed in a 1978 car crash, bringing long-awaited closure to his family after nearly 50 years.
Mark Alan Smith was among four people who died on June 2, 1978, when the Volkswagen Beetle he was riding in, carrying five teenagers, veered out of control on Arlington Avenue. The vehicle crossed the center divider and collided with a sport utility vehicle, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
While the other three victims were identified at the time, Smith’s identity remained a mystery. The Volkswagen’s driver, the sole survivor, told investigators he had only met Smith the day before and knew little about him.
“Despite years of investigative efforts, the victim remained unidentified until now, nearly 50 years after his death,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The Riverside Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau, utilizing resources from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Missing and Unidentified Human Remains grant program, conducted an exhumation. The nonprofit GenGenies then funded the forensic genetic genealogy work that provided the crucial leads to identify Smith.
On behalf of his sister, Pam Bright, and family, the sheriff’s office extended sincere appreciation to GenGenies and the Department of Justice’s Missing Persons DNA Program, stating: “Together, these efforts have finally given Mark Smith’s family the closure they have long awaited.”
