DNA analysis confirms remains as Mission, B.C., teen, missing since 2007

Mounties says DNA testing has confirmed remains that washed ashore in Washington State almost 17 years ago are those of a teenager who went missing from Mission, B.C., more than a year earlier.

Police say that 17-year-old Jeffrey Surtel was reported missing by his family on April 29, 2007, and despite search efforts and several tips of possible sightings, he was not found.

They say that in August 2008, human remains washed up on Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.

The RCMP say Clallam County Sheriff’s Office investigated, conducted DNA analysis of the remains and compared it with samples across multiple databases in the United States, but no matches were found.

They say that in 2024, the sheriff’s office raised funds through crowdfunding donations, and sent the DNA for testing at a private laboratory in Texas earlier this year.

The Mounties say that lab used forensic genetic genealogy and was able to link the DNA to a member of Surtel's extended family.

Mission RCMP say that the BC Coroner's Service has since confirmed the result and Surtel's family was notified last week.

They say that investigators on both sides of the border have confirmed that there is no indication of criminality, although the circumstances surrounding the teen's disappearance and death remain unknown.

Insp. Ted Lewko of the Mission RCMP detachment says 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 says in a news release.

"Your efforts have made a real difference to those who knew and loved Jeffrey.”