Remains found in Marin identified as man missing since 2012

Natalie HansonDecember 25, 2021 at 5:01 a.m.

A man who was reported missing nearly a decade ago has been identified from remains found in the Point Reyes National Seashore, the Marin County Sheriff's Office reported.

The National Park Service found the remains west of Five Brooks Trailhead on Sept. 9. The remains were transported to the county coroner's office, which ordered DNA tests from a state lab.

"The setting was within a remote part of the park not near the hiking trail system," the coroner's office said in a public statement. "The overall condition of the remains and items located at the scene is suggestive of them having been exposed to the elements for a significant time period."

The remains were identified Monday as Gerritt Henry Vanderveer III of Petaluma. Vanderveer was 44 when he was reported as missing on Sept. 10, 2012.

The cause of death is under investigation by the National Park Service and the coroner's office, which is a division of the Marin County Sheriff's Office.