By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – The mystery of the “Jane Doe” investigation involving a human foot found inside a shoe near the mouth of the Elwha River in Port Angeles in 2021 has been solved.

The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that the DNA/Genealogy company Othram Labs confirmed that the foot belonged to Sequim native Jerilyn Smith, who was reported missing on January 7, 2018. Smith, who was 68 years old at the time of her disappearance, was believed to have jumped off the Elwha River bridge into the rushing water west of Port Angeles on that day. Investigators said she had a history of depression and suicidal thoughts.

Despite an extensive search, her body was never recovered.

Investigators say the case of the shoe containing human remains that were found on the beach near the mouth of the river, despite their best efforts, ran cold. The only step they had left was a thorough genealogy study but, because it was a cold case, it may be years before the state lab would get to it. Last month, the Sheriff’s Office announced that Othram Labs of Texas was willing to take on the case, and the company even set up a crowd funding web page to raise the money to pay for it.

Othram Labs used DNA obtained from the foot recovered 3 years after Smith’s disappearance to provide a list of who they believed were surviving family members. Sheriff’s detectives contacted one of those family members, who voluntarily provided a DNA sample which was sent to Othram Labs for comparison, and the mystery was solved.

Surviving family members said they are grateful to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Othram Labs, and the citizens who generously crowd-funded the DNA work.