BREAKING NEWS!

Calaveras Cold Case Task Force Identifies the Remains of a Person Found During the 1985 Investigation of the Wilseyville Serial Killers After Forty Years.

 

On January 15, 2025, after years of investigation and collaboration with numerous public and private entities, the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force identified a body that was found in 1985 as Reginald “Reggie” Frisby.

Reginald’s body had been found in June of 1985, during the processing and investigation of a crime scene associated with the Wilseyville Serial Killings. These remains have been unidentified until this development.

In 2021, the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force undertook the enormous task of reexamining unidentified human remains from cases within Calaveras County. The basis for reexamination were technological changes and advancements in DNA technology, including the advent of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy.  The purpose of the reexamination project was, is, and will continue to be to identify remains while providing closure to victims’ families.

The case that led to the current identification began with over 1,000 pieces of human remains that were exhumed from within a San Andreas crypt, as well as additional unidentified remains that were in the custody of the Calaveras County Coroner.

In November, 2022, Task Force members conducted a specific reexamination of unidentified remains that had also been the subject of an autopsy in 1985. These remains have been unidentified since their discovery despite the creation of a composite sketch and numerous attempts at identification by law enforcement. During this investigation, Task Force members took possession of a portion of the remains, which they later hand-delivered to the California Department of Justice for DNA analysis.

The California Department of Justice successfully obtained a DNA profile from the remains, which was then entered into the CODIS system. CODIS is the Combined DNA Index System which is operated and maintained by the FBI. No match was obtained using this system.

In 2024, the Task Force sent the remains to Intermountain Forensics, a private laboratory located in Utah, for additional analysis.  Intermountain Forensics successfully extracted a DNA profile suitable for use in Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG).   FIGG is a technique in which expert genealogists use genealogy to compare a DNA sample with potential relatives in public genealogy databases and the use of publicly available records.   The DNA profile for FIGG was assigned for research to Identifinders International, a Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy group.

In December of 2024, Identifinders International developed a lead regarding a possible match to the victim by way of DNA matches discovered on a public database.   Task Force Investigators and the genealogist began conducting interviews of potential family members and determined that Reginald Frisby had not been in contact with his family since 1984. Task Force Investigators, with the assistance of the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Unit, also determined that Reginald had been living in the city of San Francisco as of January,1984.

Following these interviews, the California Department of Justice responded to a request from the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force and coordinated with the Delaware State Patrol Missing Persons Unit to acquire a DNA reference sample from Reginald’s mother. The California Department of Justice compared her DNA sample to the sample obtained from the remains, and the results, combined with the investigative facts, confirmed the identity of the remains to be Reginald “Reggie” Frisby.

Reginald Frisby, who was born in 1956 in the State of New York, had never been reported missing and was previously not considered or suspected to be a potential victim or suspected to be associated with the Wilseyville Serial Killer case.

The circumstances regarding the death of Reginald are still being examined while Task Force members continue to review original reports, evidence, and facts of the case. It is believed that Reginald was the victim of homicide.

After forty years, this identification would not have been possible without the assistance of the California Department of Justice, The Delaware State Patrol Missing Persons Unit, the San Francisco Police Department Homicide Unit, Identifinders International, Intermountain Forensics, and all the supporters, agencies, and members of the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force.

The Calaveras Cold Case Task Force is funded entirely by donations. Without these donations, the private laboratory and genealogy work would not have been possible, and Reginald would remain unidentified. The Task Force has spent over $200,000 of donated money on reexamining remains from all assigned cases.

To support the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force, please consider donating. To learn about other cold cases, please visit the Case Spotlights page.