DNA Breakthrough Identifies 1968 Murder Victim After 57 years.

Wake County, North California -Investigators have confirmed the identity of a homicide victim murdered 57 years ago using advanced DNA technology and a single preserved hair sample. The victim had only been known as “Jane Doe” for years, but has now been confirmed as 35-year-old Myrtle Holcomb, who was killed in 1968. 

On April 28, 1968, the charred body of Holcomb was found in a rural area of southern Wake County, between Lake Wheeler Road and Ten Ten Road. At the time, investigators could not determine her identity because of the extent of the burns. The absence of useful fingerprints and dental examinations contributed to the case going cold very quickly, and it remained open and unsolved for almost thirty years.

The breakthrough occurred when the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and forensic genealogists specialising in victim identification, re-examined the case evidence. A small piece of hair that had been stored as evidence since 1968 was subjected to modern genetic sequencing technologies that could retrieve DNA without even having a root on the hair. A DNA profile was generated and utilized for genealogical database matching. The remains were subsequently linked to living relatives of Holcomb.

Officials have reopened the homicide investigation following confirmation of her identity. A review of existing materials has identified a suspect, who is believed to have died in 1992. Still, officials say their investigation is ongoing to produce a clearer understanding of what happened prior to Holcomb’s death.