Shin bone found in river belongs to man missing since 2017, California cops say
A shin bone found in a river in northern California earlier this year belongs to a man missing since 2017, deputies say.
The Department of Justice identified the tibia bone found in July as that of Mark Burleigh, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said in a Nov. 18 news release.
“His mother never stopped searching for him,” a Facebook group dedicated to finding Burleigh said in a Nov. 17 post.
Man vanishes
Family reported Burleigh missing in February 2018, deputies said in a 2020 Facebook post.
Deputies said a family member told them they had last contacted Burleigh in September 2017 when they dropped him off at a friend’s home in Alderpoint, about 15 miles from the river where the bone was found.
“Burleigh was possibly seen in Garberville in October 2017,” the family member said, according to deputies.
Despite the possible sighting, Burleigh never made contact with family again, according to the sheriff’s office.
Burleigh was 32 years old at the time of his disappearance, according to the California Department of Justice.
Bone found
In early July, a bone was found in the Eel River near Redway, deputies said in a news release.
Initially, after the county coroner’s office reviewed photos, the bone was “determined unlikely to be human,” according to deputies.
However, after the bone was collected for additional analysis, the coroner’s office had anthropologists examine the bone, and they determined the bone may be human.
Deputies said cadaver dogs searched the area for additional remains but did not find any.
The bone was sent to the Department of Justice, which later determined it belonged to Burleigh, according to deputies.
‘I need my son’
Burleigh’s mother, Jennifer Burleigh, told the Redheaded Blackbelt that she hopes more of her son’s remains will be found.
“Last night, I just kept on wondering, there’s got to be more of him. I gave birth to a whole body,” she told the outlet. “Please don’t give up, I need my son.”
Kim Cabrera, the person who found the tibia, told the outlet she actually knew Burleigh and that she remembered him from her time as a teacher’s aide in the late 1990s.
“He was just a little kid, full of energy, full of life — a prankster,” she told the outlet. “It’s just sad to know that the little kid I remember is no longer with us.”
Deputies said they will continue to search the area, adding that an investigation into Burleigh’s death is ongoing.
“Mark’s case remains unsolved, but efforts to uncover the truth will continue until answers are found for his loved ones,” the Facebook group dedicated to finding Burleigh said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact deputies at 707-445-7251.
Redway is about a 220-mile drive northwest from Sacramento.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Shin bone found in river belongs to man missing since 2017, California cops say."
