St. Tammany Coroner Dr. Charles Preston identified the person whose remains were found near the Washington-St. Tammany Parish line last month.
On Jan. 18, skeletal remains were discovered in a field and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation.
On Jan. 20, Preston’s office was asked to join the investigation, and acquired DNA from the remains on Jan. 24.
On Feb. 6, the DNA analysis was completed and loaded into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national database of genetic records. The following day, CODIS reported a preliminary match, which was confirmed yesterday morning.
The decedent was positively identified as Daryl D. Jenkins, who was 38 YO when he was last seen in July 2022.
Jenkins was reported as a missing person to the Picayune, Mississippi, Police Department in September.
Picayune Police have notified his next of kin.
The cause and manner of death remain under investigation by the Coroner and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Dr. Preston said his Coroner’s Office is the only one in the state with its own DNA lab to provide quick turnaround for local law enforcement agencies and bring them closer to giving closure to the decedent’s family.
