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Jefferson County honors chief deputy coroner Bill Yates after DNA identifies man missing nearly 40 years
Summary
The commission presented a resolution honoring Chief Deputy Coroner William 'Bill' Yates for repeated forensic DNA resubmissions that led to identifying Brian Keith Bates, who had been missing for nearly four decades; family members and commissioners praised Yates's persistence and secured funding to continue similar work on 31 pending cases.
The Jefferson County Commission on July 9, 2026, honored Chief Deputy Coroner William “Bill” Yates with a resolution recognizing his long‑running work to identify previously unidentified remains. Commissioners and family members credited his persistence in resubmitting forensic DNA as technology advanced, which resulted in identifying Brian Keith Bates after nearly 40 years.
Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates told the commission he commends the Bates family for compiling documentation that aided the identification and thanked the commission for funding and digitizing archives that made the work possible. “I would also commend y’all for providing the ability, the funds for us to do this work,” Yates said.
Amy Stevens, identified in the hearing as the sister of Brian Keith Bates, thanked Yates and the commission for giving her family closure. “I wanted Mr. Yates to be recognized because… he made a difference,” she said, visibly emotional.
Commissioners said the identification helps close cold cases and announced continued support for funding that work; the county manager and commission noted about 31 similar cases remain in the county’s caseload for further investigation and identification efforts.
What’s next: Commissioners said the county will continue resourcing forensic identification work and that staff will seek to secure the operational funding necessary to pursue remaining cold‑case identifications.
