The remains were found on the shores of Fish Lake in south-central Utah in May, according to the Sevier County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators determined the hiking boot was made in 1996 for only one year. Investigators were then able to tie the boot to a cold case disappearance from September 1997.
The man who went missing -- David White -- intended to go fishing with some friends and had rented a hotel room nearby, the sheriff's office said. When the plans with friends fell through, White went fishing anyway, according to authorities.
His boat was later found trolling across the lake with no one onboard, according to officials.
"A shoe and hat were found floating in the water giving a possible indication where White was believed to have fallen in. There were no witnesses at the time. All of this was a mystery until now," the sheriff's office said in a press release.
The original search for White lasted five days and no further evidence was found at the time.
“This case has been on the mind of every one of the SAR members who were involved in the search 28 years ago. It is good to finally have some closure for the family and the searchers," Sheriff Nathan Curtis said in a statement.
The medical examiner's office directed investigators to collect DNA from the foot and DNA from a daughter and sent the samples to Bode Cellmark Forensics.
Testing revealed a parental match with 99.9994% certainty, the sheriff's office said.
"We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, SAR’s, Detective Sgt Pearson, Detective Sgt Larsen, Sheriff Curtis, and Gary (Moulton) from Fishlake Lodge for their incredible support and tireless efforts. We are also deeply grateful to the individual and his dog who found the shoe – without them, we would not be where we are today," Stefanie Bennett, the daughter of White, said in a statement released by officials.
