Human Remains Found by Horseback Rider Identified as Woman Reported Missing by Former Roommate Nearly 40 Years Ago

Human remains found in Washington state in 1988 have been identified nearly four decades later.

The remains were discovered in February 1988 by a horseback rider near Parker Bridge Road and the Sunnyside Dam area in Parker, according to a news release from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.

At the time, investigators were unable to generate leads. Years later, advances in DNA testing helped identify the individual as Rosa Elia Vargas Jimenez Everts, of Toppenish, who was 31 when she disappeared.

In a statement, the Toppenish Police Department said Everts was reported missing by a former roommate on Aug. 6, 1987. The roommate had not seen her since December 1986 and initially believed she had returned to California. That assumption changed after a family member said Everts had not been in California and had not been in touch with relatives.

Detectives had previously considered whether Everts’ disappearance might be connected to the 1988 remains — known then only as “Parker Doe” — but investigators were unable to obtain conclusive evidence and the case went cold.

A renewed review of the investigation in August 2024 produced a breakthrough. Senior Investigator and Analyst Carlos Trevino of the Washington Attorney General’s Office located Everts’ mother and sister in Utah and obtained information that officials described as valuable to the case.

DNA samples collected from Everts’ mother and sister were compared with DNA from the Parker Doe remains. On Oct. 22, 2025, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety notified the Toppenish Police Department and the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office that the samples were a match.

Officials said the identification may bring long-awaited clarity to Everts’ loved ones, adding that they are now working to return her remains to her family.

“We were able to help put a family at ease knowing their loved one was found and identified 38 years later,” the sheriff’s office said.

Attorney General Nick Brown said that while the identification provides answers, the criminal investigation remains active, and he expressed condolences to Everts’ family and those close to her.