Serrat was disappeared during a camping trip in the same woods in September 2004.
His remains were found scattered over a 500-foot area at Route 83 and 104th Avenue in unincorporated Palos Township in December 2004.
Dental records did not match any missing persons report. In 2006, a femur bone was sent to the FBI Missing Person's Database for DNA tests. In September 2010, those tests found a match with a sample taken from Serratt during a 2003 arrest. It's the first case of a DNA match using bone fragment remains for the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Tom Dart said his team notified the man's family.
"Now his family has closure, and knows what happened to him," said Sheriff Dart. "The use of DNA and other forensics evidence to identify remains is a powerful law enforcement tool, and while it can't close every case, we are grateful whenever we can utilize this technology to solve crimes and bring peace of mind to loved ones."
Though Serratt's cause of death is undetermined, foul play is not believed to be involved.
