Virginia police use DNA to reconstruct face of woman murdered 50 years ago

Virginia police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman whose body was found 50 years ago, a homicide victim investigators have never been able to name.

The Virginia Beach Police Department said new forensic analysis may finally generate leads in the 1976 case. 

What we know:

Working with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based DNA technology company, investigators used DNA phenotyping to predict the woman’s physical traits and ancestry. The process allowed forensic artists to create a composite image showing what she may have looked like before she died.

The backstory:

The woman’s body was discovered May 30, 1976, in the water near the First Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Because of the condition of the remains, police said immediate identification was impossible. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and estimated she had been killed within 48 hours of being found.

Big picture view:

Investigators believe the victim was a white woman between 35 and 45 years old, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing between 135 and 145 pounds. She had a five‑inch scar on the back of her right thigh and physical signs indicating she had given birth at least once.

Dig deeper:

Parabon’s analysis produced predictions for the woman’s eye color, hair color, skin tone, freckling and facial structure. Using those traits, forensic artists created a composite showing her at age 25 with an average BMI, baseline factors chosen because age and weight cannot be determined from DNA.

The other side:

Police emphasized that the composite is a scientific approximation based solely on genetics. Environmental factors such as smoking, diet and alcohol use, along with non-genetic features like hairstyles, facial hair or scars, cannot be determined through DNA and may have altered her actual appearance.

Detectives in Virginia Beach are urging the public to review and share the composite. Anyone who recognizes the woman or has information about the case is asked to contact the Virginia Beach Cold Case Squad Tipline at 757-385-4241.  

Why you should care:

Across the United States, more than 15,500 unidentified persons cases remain unresolved. Police said advances in genetic technology offer the strongest opportunity to restore names to these victims. Relatives of missing people can voluntarily submit Family Reference Samples, which are compared only to unidentified remains and are legally protected from other investigative use.

Families seeking to provide a reference sample should contact the law enforcement agency handling their missing person report. More information is available through the CODIS and NDIS fact sheet.

 

Crime and Public Safety