Reginald Frisby

years unidentified

years of cold case work

2025

Idenitified

2026

Laid to Rest

On July 13, 2026, the remains of Reginald “Reggie” Frisby left Calaveras County to be reunited with his family.

The Calaveras Cold Case Task Force held a brief memorial ceremony to pay respects to Reggie’s memory.

A Sheriff’s Chaplain provided the invocation during the ceremony. Reggie’s remains will be laid to rest by his family.

Reginald Frisby, Rest in Peace

On Monday, July 13, members of the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force gathered alongside forensic experts, instrumental supporters, and local elected officials, including Supervisor Martin Huberty and Sheriff Rachelle Whiting, for a solemn and long‑awaited moment: the return of Reginald Elliot Frisby’s remains to his family after four decades of uncertainty.

A brief invocation led by a Sheriff’s Chaplain marked the closing chapter of the Task Force’s work to restore Frisby’s identity. Born in 1956 in New York, Frisby had never been reported missing, and for decades was not considered connected to the Wilseyville Serial Killer case.

Reggie’s remains were discovered in 1985 during the investigation of the Wilseyville Serial Killings and remained unidentified for forty years. Despite previous attempts to identify him, the path that led to his identification began in 2020, when the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force was formed. Advancements in DNA technology and the emergence of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) have allowed the Task Force to restore victims’ names and provide long-overdue closure for families.

One of the largest efforts for the Task Force stemmed from and continues to be the analysis of more than 1,000 pieces of human remains exhumed from a San Andreas crypt associated with the Wilseyville Serial Killings.

The identification of Reggie Frisby involved extensive work by the task force members, public and private laboratories, and industry leaders in Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy.

The Calaveras Cold Case Task Force notes that every breakthrough in identifying victims has been made possible by donations. The Task Force operates entirely on donated funds, which covered the cost of the extensive private laboratory testing and genealogical research needed to solve this case.

To date, the Task Force has invested more than $300,000 in reexamining remains as part of its investigations.

The Calaveras Cold Case Task Force has additional major case updates pending.

Identified in January, 2025

This is the only known surviving photograph of Reginald Frisby.

Artist Conception

1993

This artist’s composite of John Doe 2 was used by investigators in an attempt to identify the remains of Reginald “Reggie” Frisby.

The Identification of Reginald Frisby

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.