Jawbone Found in Arizona Boy's Rock Collection Belongs to Marine Who Died in 1951, Experts Say

U.S. Marine Corps Captain Everett Leland Yager died during a military exercise more than seven decades ago

• A jawbone found in an Arizona boy's rock collection in 2002 has been identified more than 20 years later as belonging to U.S. Marine Corps Captain Everett Leland Yager

• Yager — who was long referred to as “Rock Collection John Doe” — died in a military training exercise in July 1951

• A New York high school student who worked on the case is believed to be "the youngest person to ever contribute to an investigative genetic genealogy case resolution"

An object found in an Arizona boy’s rock collection more than two decades ago is actually a piece of jawbone belonging to a late U.S. Marine, according to experts.

The jawbone, which still had several teeth connected, was first obtained by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in 2002, according to a news release from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

However, no matching DNA was found in government databases following traditional testing. But more than 20 years later, the case was revived.

In January 2023, YCSO and Yavapai County Medical Examiner “referred the case” to Ramapo College’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center.

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In May, the jawbone was sent to Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City, where “a profile was developed and uploaded to GEDmatch Pro and FamilyTreeDNA.”

Two months later, IGG Center intern Ethan Schwartz and students with Ramapo College’s IGG Bootcamp “worked on the case.” It took them less than two days to find a lead candidate, which was subsequently handed over to YCSO.

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In March, experts confirmed the jawbone belonged to U.S. Marine Corps Captain Everett Leland Yager using a DNA sample taken from his daughter in August 2023.

Yager — who was long referred to as “Rock Collection John Doe” — died in a military training exercise in July 1951, according to Ramapo College.

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His remains were recovered in Riverside County, California, following the incident and were thought to have been buried in Palmyra, Missouri.

Cairenn Binder, assistant director of the Ramapo College IGG Center, called the case “a lesson in expecting the unexpected.”

“The team that worked on this case at our IGG bootcamp included some truly outstanding researchers,” Binder said in the release, “and we are so proud of them for helping to repatriate Captain Yager’s remains and return them to his family.”

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It is unclear where exactly the boy found the jawbone, though it was presumably found in Arizona.

Additionally, Schwartz is believed to be “the youngest person to ever contribute to an investigative genetic genealogy case resolution,” according to Ramapo College.

Schwartz is a New York resident and attends Suffern High School.

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