Bones Found In California Identified As Swedish Student, Elisabeth Martinsson, Who Went Missing 30 Years Ago

Although investigators discovered human bones in the San Francisco Bay area years ago, they’ve just discovered that the remains belonged to a Swedish girl, Elisabeth Martinsson, 21, who went missing 30 years, according to NBC News.

On January 17, 1982, Martinsson – a college student at the College of Marin near Greenbrae – borrowed a Volkswagen Rabbit from a family member to go to the store. When she never returned, her family began to worry and eventually filed a missing persons’ report.

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Ten days after Martinsson went missing, they discovered the car in Oklahoma with a 31-year-old convicted rapist, Henry Coleman, who told police that he had never met Martinsson, and that the car was purchased from a man he met at a bar while in San Francisco, according to Marin Independent Journal.

Coleman was taken into custody, but was only arrested for auto theft and a previous robbery charge. He had previously served 10 years in prison for raping a California woman.

Although a witness told investigators that she saw Coleman pick up a woman that resembled Martinsson, they had to drop the case due to lack of evidence.

However, in November 2010, seven human bones were discovered in Morrison Canyon area, and it was sent to the Department of Justice to uncover if the bones could be traced back to anyone.

Five years later in November, the coroner informed police officials that the remains were in fact of the Swedish woman who went missing 30 years ago, but the cause of death is undetermined.

Alameda County sheriff’s Sgt. Patricia Wilson told reporters that they only found human remains; clothes or other personal items were not found at the site.

After 30 years of not knowing where Martinsson was located, they finally have some peace knowing that her remains have been found.

The family opted to have her remains cremated before being shipped to Sweden.

Martinsson’s family is still eager to find out what happened to her the day she disappeared and how her remains ended up in Morrison Canyon.

An investigation has since launched, and Marin County Sheriff’s Office is trying to find Coleman’s location as well as find out if he is still alive.

[Image courtesy of Mark Wilson/Getty Images]