A Son’s Quest for Truth After a 40-Year Mystery

When Mark Wells learned that his “missing” father had actually died over 40 years ago, he took the shocking step of exhuming the body, only to find that it didn’t belong to his dad at all.

The 52-year-old has long pondered the fate of his father, Dale Wayne Wells, who vanished in February 1985 at just 38. Frustrated with authorities’ inaction, Mark decided to dig deeper, hoping new DNA testing might provide some answers.

But what came next left him reeling. The body he had buried and grieved for as a child was identified as that of a complete stranger. He has openly condemned the significant error, criticizing how it allowed police to prematurely close the investigation without conducting a proper inquiry.

The remains thought to be Dale’s were discovered in Colfax, California, just a short distance from his then-wife’s home, eight months after he was reported missing. Mark noted that the body had been “ravaged” by animals during that time.

Now left with more questions than ever, Mark continues his search for the truth. “I need to understand why that person is beneath the ground instead of my father,” he expressed.

“It’s vital for me to know if my dad is still alive. We’ve got no clarity on his whereabouts, and I’m desperate for answers,” he added, admitting his anger upon receiving the news.

In August 2019, tired of fruitless discussions with officials, Mark financed the exhumation himself. He felt an urgent need to find closure, and now the police are revisiting his father’s missing persons case.

However, when the DNA results came back in May 2022, they confirmed that the buried man wasn’t his father. Mark was only 12 when his mother told him that Dale had died in a hunting mishap.

As he grew up, he never delved too deeply into the details. Mark enlisted in the Marines at 18, during which he encountered his father’s death certificate listing the cause as “unknown.”

“I was always under the impression that my father had a hunting accident,” he recalled. “When I shared my discovery with my mom, she apologized for not revealing the truth sooner.”

Mark later found out that his father had been discovered in the woods, very close to his wife’s home, by his grandfather eight months before his disappearance. He learned there were three bullets near the body, and although some suspected suicide, Mark doesn’t buy that explanation, and the police have yet to determine how his father truly died.

“On the night he vanished, he was driving home from his job in Sacramento to see his then-wife and half-brother. Something must have gone wrong. The bullets nearby suggest there was a struggle,” he mused.

Mark’s grandfather had reported the finding to the police. In the early 2000s, when he approached the sheriff’s office about his father’s case, he felt dismissed, told essentially that reopening the case wouldn’t lead anywhere. Frustrated yet determined, he kept pursuing it.

After discussing the case with family and friends, Mark was convinced his father couldn’t have taken his own life. By August 2019, he felt so compelled to uncover the truth that he exhumed the body, an act that only resulted in more confusion.

DNA tests confirmed that Dale was not the person buried in that grave, which stirred up more emotions. When Mark heard the revelation, he was enraged and overwhelmed. He vividly remembers the moment he broke down in tears while sharing the shocking news with his wife.

“What does this mean? Is my father still out there somewhere?” he questioned, grappling with the new layer of uncertainty.

Now, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office has reopened the case, acknowledging that his father remains missing. Yet even after all these years, Mark is still in the dark about Dale’s fate.

“It’s truly frustrating,” he admitted. “I just want answers, but it feels like no one is genuinely willing to assist.”

As for the remains, the Placer County Coroner’s Office has confirmed them as Dale Wells through dental records, turning the focus back to finding out what really happened. The search for answers continues, underscoring the painful uncertainty that has lingered for decades.