Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Identifies Mark Alan Smith

After 48 years, the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner has identified the young man long known as Riverside Vernon John Doe.

His name was Mark Alan Smith.

Mark was 18 years old when he died in a traffic collision in Riverside on June 2, 1978. Riverside County continued working to restore his identity, ultimately partnering with GenGenies to pursue forensic genetic genealogy.

Resolve Forensics was honored to provide the forensic DNA sequencing used to support that effort. We are grateful to have played a small role alongside Riverside County, GenGenies and their generous donors, the California Department of Justice’s Missing Persons DNA Program, and everyone who helped bring Mark home.

This moment belongs to Mark, his family, and the people who never stopped working to identify him.

Read the full announcement from the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner.

To donate to GenGenies and support their crucial mission, visit GenGenies.org.

At Resolve, we believe every person deserves their name and every family deserves answers. We are grateful to have played a small part in bringing Mark Alan Smith’s name back to his family.

Let’s change the world—one name, one family, and one answer at a time.