Fresno teen identified as Jane Doe in nearly 50-year-old murder case
A Jane Doe in a nearly 50-year-old murder case has just been identified.
KERN COUNTY, Calif. -- A Jane Doe in a nearly 50-year-old murder case in California, has just been identified as a Fresno teen.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that the victim has been identified as 15-year-old Michelle Louise Collier.
Deputies say in June 1978, the remains of an unidentified girl were found in an Arvin vineyard.
The case went cold after the remains could not be identified through the available technology of the time, which was primarily fingerprints and dental records.
By 2007, it was discovered that DNA samples had not been collected, leading to exhumation of the body to obtain the sample.
The collected DNA sample was then sent to the California Department of Justice but no match was made because there was no family DNA in existing databases.
Deputies say that was until a match was made following a consumer DNA test taken by Collier's family.
"We are grateful to finally reunite Michelle with her family after 48 years and to finally restore Michelle’s name and provide her family with long-awaited answers," the Kern County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office says it does not have a dedicated Cold Case Unit but says Collier's case remains open.
Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.