Decades-old mysteries can sometimes find new life through technological advancements, and that’s exactly the case for a 1970s cold case in Pima County. Investigators have reignited their search for answers using cutting-edge DNA techniques.
In 1979, the body of a young girl, believed to be around 17 years old and of Honduran origin, was discovered with gunshot wounds near the I-10 highway outside Tucson. Her identity, as well as that of her assailant, has remained a mystery until recently.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has tapped into forensic investigative genetic genealogy to revive the case. “So these cases that have sat unresolved for years are now being re-approached, and rather than target the individual, we’re targeting the family tree of the individual,” explained Detective Miguel Flores from the department’s cold case unit.
A significant breakthrough was achieved by matching the victim’s DNA with a potential relative who had used a consumer DNA kit and consented to law enforcement usage. This innovative method circumvents the limitations of older technologies that required an exact DNA match in existing databases.
The investigation, however, is only in its preliminary stages. Efforts are now focused on determining the relationship between the victim and the identified relative, a process expected to extend over several months. International databases are also being consulted to broaden the search.
Detective Flores noted, “The investigative lead we have right now appears to be from the same region [as the victim]. The issue is that the database we have for that region is very very limited right now.”
With geneticists on the case, the team aims to build upon this lead. In a bid to further aid the investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recently released a new rendering of the victim’s possible appearance.
The case is part of a larger effort, as Flores mentioned, with the department working on over 200 cold cases.
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