Closure After Three Decades: The Silver Spray Tragedy

In the early hours before sunrise on Humboldt Bay, the fishing vessel Silver Spray faced a formidable 18-foot wave. This forceful wave struck with such intensity that it tore the top of the boat away. Four men were aboard, and they were hurled into the dark waters.

Skipper Al Burns recounted to The Times the experience of tumbling underwater as the 35-foot ship sank. The incident occurred on December 14, 1999. Unfortunately, one crew member was not found after this Northern California catastrophe. He remained missing until recently when a single bone emerged onshore. This discovery brought closure to a California family, providing answers after thirty long years.

“I had a good feeling I was going to die,” Burns said, reflecting on witnessing the pilothouse being torn off. The pilothouse is vital for steering the ship.

Jonathan Raxa’s body was not found after being cast into the tumultuous waves. After three decades, a bone appeared approximately 20 miles from the accident scene, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

Raxa owned the Silver Spray and was a devoted family man, 37 years old at the time. He had intensified his crab fishing activities shortly before the tragedy to finance a religious mission to Laos, his native land.

December marked the commencement of the crab season, but the month is notorious for harsh sea conditions. Humboldt Bay, California’s second-largest bay, is famous for its challenging waves known as breakers. These powerful foam waves have frequently claimed lives and vessels, similar to the fate of the Silver Spray.

Commercial fishing poses significant risks. As reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, dangers include vessel wrecks and falls overboard. During the timeframe from 2000 to 2017, the profession’s fatality rate was over 28 times greater than the U.S. average.

For nearly three decades, Raxa’s remains eluded discovery.

However, in March 2026, a bone was discovered on Centerville Beach, roughly 20 miles south of the Silver Spray wreck site. Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies identified the bone as a human sacrum, the triangular bone at the spine’s base. They submitted the bone to the state Department of Justice’s DNA sample system.

The DNA matched a sample collected from Raxa’s son three decades ago. The family was contacted with the revelation that their father’s case was finally resolved.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office emphasized in a statement the significance of preserving DNA samples from family members for missing person cases. This practice may allow detectives to solve cases for families, even after many years have passed.