Riverside Coroner’s Bureau Identifies 1978 Crash Victim

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - The Riverside County Sheriff's Office today announced the name of an 18-year-old male passenger who was among four people killed in a Riverside collision on June 2, 1978.  

A Volkswagen Beetle carrying five teenagers was traveling westbound on Arlington Avenue when its driver lost control, crossed the center divider, and struck a sport utility vehicle, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's officials said the driver of the Volkswagen was the only survivor and told investigators at that time that he had met the passenger only the day before and knew little about him, noting that the other three deceased victims were identified during that time.

"Despite years of investigative efforts, the victim remained unidentified until now, nearly 50 years after his death,'' the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The Riverside Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau identified the 18-year-old man as Mark Alan Smith, who sustained fatal injuries in the collision.   

The Bureau of Justice Assistance's Missing and Unidentified Human Remains grant program provided resources to the sheriff's coroner's bureau to conduct the exhumation, while the nonprofit GenGenies funded the forensic genetic genealogy work that produced the leads needed to identify Smith.

"On behalf of his sister, Pam Bright and family, we extend our sincere appreciation to GenGenies and the Department of Justice's Missing Persons DNA Program, whose expertise and commitment contributed to this outcome. Together, these efforts have finally given Mark Smith's family the closure they have long awaited,'' the sheriff's office said.