MISSION, B.C. 鈥� A foot that washed up inside a running shoe on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state has solved the puzzling disappearance of a British Columbia teenager 18 years ago.
Police in Mission, B.C., said it also took a crowdfunding campaign and the use of new DNA technology to identify the remains of Jeffrey Surtel, 17, who was reported missing by his family in April 2007.
A police investigation and numerous tips followed, but a thorough search of the Mission area turned up no sign of the teenager, who the family believed left their home on his bike while they were sleeping.
The foot was found in 2008 near Port Angeles, Wash., where the Clallam County Sheriff's Office investigated, conducted DNA analysis of the remains and compared the results with samples across multiple U.S. databases, finding no matches.
But after new advances in DNA technology, Mission RCMP Cpl. Harrison Mohr said the sheriff's office raised US$7,500 through crowd funding to have the DNA tested at a private lab in Texas.
"I'm not aware of how their budget and funding work," Mohr said of the Clallam County department. "But certainly, I'm very glad they put the effort in and that their community stepped up and was able to contribute to that, which ultimately led to answers coming forward to the Surtel family."
The difference in solving the case came with forensic genetic genealogy, which looks at records of people who submit DNA through family heritage sites, he said.
Mohr said the testing identified a link to Surtel's uncle, who then told police that his sister's child had gone missing.
The BC Coroners Service sent the teen's DNA and they confirmed the match.
Surtel's family was notified last week.
"The family is certainly going through a renewed grieving process. It's understandably been an unimaginable 18 years of wondering what happened to him, of that little bit of hope in their minds as to whether he may still be alive out there. This has answered that question," Mohr said.
Insp. Ted Lewko with Mission RCMP said police hope the update brings some closure to Surtel's loved ones after 18 years of wondering what happened.
"Our sincere thanks to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office for their perseverance in finding answers, and to the lab that was able to help link the DNA to Jeffrey's family," Lewko said in a news release.
"Your efforts have made a real difference to those who knew and loved Jeffrey."
Mohr said they don't know how the body ended up near Port Angeles, but if the teen went into the Fraser River near Mission, which flows into the Pacific, then it would be reasonable to believe his body would be carried to the Olympic Peninsula.
There is no record of Surtel crossing the border, Mohr said.
As for the investigation into his death, while police haven't ruled out it being suspicious, there's also no confirmed indication of criminality, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2025.
The Canadian Press
