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Skeletal Remains Identified As Missing UC Berkeley Student

SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) -- Skeletal remains discovered in the Point Reyes National Seashore have been identified as those of a University of California, Berkeley student who has been missing since January, according to the Marin County Coroner's Office.

Shuqin Zhang, a University of California graduate student, was reported missing after she failed to board a Jan. 8 flight for China where she was scheduled to be interviewed for an internship.

Officials said the 22-year-old was reportedly despondent after she had failed a class during the Fall 2015 semester.

A search was launched and her vehicle was located on Jan. 9th near the Point Reyes Lighthouse. Searchers also found Zhang's belongings on a cliff above the ocean.

However, search teams came up empty in their attempts to locate her.

Chief Deputy Coroner Darrell Harris told the Marin Independent Journal that hikers spotted some bones they thought might be human in April. The bones were located at the base of a cliff about 2 miles south of the visitors center at Drake's Beach.

Authorities said they had already obtained DNA samples from Zhang's family. A DNA comparison confirmed the remains as those of the 22-year-old UC student.

The cause and manner of death still remains undetermined, but authorities said they do not believe foul play was involved.

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