{"id":24749,"date":"2026-07-15T12:58:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T08:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fb.tejlurer.online\/?p=24749"},"modified":"2026-07-15T12:58:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T08:58:07","slug":"18-year-old-killed-after-volkswagen-beetle-crosses-center-divider-leaving-four-teens-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fb.tejlurer.online\/?p=24749","title":{"rendered":"18-Year-Old Killed After Volkswagen Beetle Crosses Center Divider, Leaving Four Teens Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An 18-year-old who died in a devastating Riverside, California, crash nearly five decades ago has finally been identified thanks to advances in forensic genetic genealogy, authorities announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fatal crash occurred on <strong>June 2, 1978<\/strong>, when a <strong>Volkswagen Beetle<\/strong> traveling west on Arlington Avenue lost control, crossed the center divider, and collided with an SUV. The crash claimed the lives of <strong>four teenagers<\/strong>, with the driver being the only survivor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although three of the victims were identified shortly after the crash, one teenage passenger remained unknown. Investigators were unable to determine his identity after the surviving driver said he had met the teen only the day before the accident, and the families of the other victims could not identify him. With no further leads, the case eventually went cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 47 years later, new forensic technology and genetic genealogy helped investigators solve the mystery. The unidentified victim has now been confirmed as <strong>18-year-old Mark Alan Smith<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials said the breakthrough was made possible through funding from the <strong>Bureau of Justice Assistance\u2019s Missing and Unidentified Human Remains<\/strong> grant program, which allowed Smith\u2019s remains to be exhumed for additional testing. Nonprofit organization <strong>GenGenies<\/strong> conducted the forensic genetic genealogy work that produced the key investigative leads, while the <strong>U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Missing Persons DNA Program<\/strong> also assisted in the identification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement shared on behalf of Smith\u2019s sister, <strong>Pam Bright<\/strong>, and the rest of the family, officials said the identification has finally brought long-awaited answers after nearly half a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTogether, these efforts have finally given Mark Smith\u2019s family the closure they have long awaited,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An 18-year-old who died in a devastating Riverside, California, crash nearly five decades ago has finally been identified thanks to advances in forensic \n<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/fb.tejlurer.online\/?p=24749\"> [...]<\/a>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - 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