Current:Home > FinanceDNA evidence identifies body found in Missouri in 1978 as missing Iowa girl-LoTradeCoin
DNA evidence identifies body found in Missouri in 1978 as missing Iowa girl
View Date:2024-12-23 16:44:02
TROY, Mo. (AP) — Forty-six years after a Missouri hunter found a body in the Mississippi River, the victim has been identified as a 15-year-old girl from Iowa.
Authorities in Lincoln County, Missouri, announced Tuesday that DNA evidence and other scientific investigation were key in determining the body was that of Helen Renee Groomes, who disappeared from Ottumwa, Iowa. Her body was found in the river near Elsberry, Missouri, in March 1978.
An autopsy performed at the time determined the body was likely that of a woman age 30 to 40. Investigators had little to go on except a cat’s eye ring on a finger and a tattoo with a hard-to-read name on her left arm. The manner of death was classified as “undetermined.” Coroners believed she had been dead for about four months before the body was found.
The remains were buried in the Troy, Missouri, City Cemetery with the gravestone reading, “Lincoln County Jane Doe.”
Coroner Dan Heavin had the body exhumed in October and turned to anthropology students and faculty at Southeast Missouri State University, a news release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department said. Bone and dental analysis was performed, and samples of DNA were submitted to a private lab for forensic genome sequencing.
The lab, Othram Inc., built a genealogical profile that helped generate new leads in the investigation, the sheriff’s department said. The new evidence led the coroner’s office to track down Kevin Groomes, Helen’s brother.
Kevin Groomes told KSDK-TV that his sister went missing in 1977. He said he was the one who put the tattoo on her arm, which read “Del,” a nickname for her boyfriend at the time.
The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa has opened a new investigation into the death, the agency said.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- 'Survivor' 47, Episode 9: Jeff Probst gave players another shocking twist. Who went home?
- Beyoncé Shares Rare Glimpse Inside Romantic Getaway With Husband Jay-Z
- NBA draft first round: Zach Edey, Spurs, France big winners; Trail Blazers (too) loaded
- How Suri Cruise’s Updated Name Is a Nod to Mom Katie Holmes
- DWTS’ Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten Have the Best Reaction to Fans Hoping for a Romance
- Lakers GM Rob Pelinka after drafting Bronny James: 'He's worked for everything'
- Gun violence crisis prompts doctors to ask patients about firearm safety at home
- Volkswagen recalls more than 270k SUVs over airbag that may not deploy during a crash
- Congress is revisiting UFOs: Here's what's happened since last hearing on extraterrestrials
- As LGBTQ+ Pride’s crescendo approaches, tensions over war in Gaza expose rifts
Ranking
- Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges
- Ohio teen accused of having school hit list pleads guilty to inducing panic
- 7 youth hikers taken to Utah hospitals after lightning hits ground near group
- Denmark to target flatulent livestock with tax in bid to fight climate change
- College Football Playoff ranking release: Army, Georgia lead winners and losers
- The 29 Most-Shopped Celeb Recommendations This Month: Suni Lee, Nicola Coughlan, Kyle Richards & More
- 2024 NBA draft live: Bronny James expected to go in second round. Which team will get him?
- Arkansas panel awards Cherokee Nation license to build casino in state
Recommendation
-
Lunchables get early dismissal: Kraft Heinz pulls the iconic snack from school lunches
-
Oklahoma superintendent orders public schools to teach the Bible
-
Morgan Eastwood, daughter of Clint Eastwood, gets married in laid-back ceremony
-
Elton John Reveals Why He'll Never Go on Tour Again
-
Oregon's Dan Lanning, Indiana's Curt Cignetti pocket big bonuses after Week 11 wins
-
Supreme Court blocks enforcement of EPA’s ‘good neighbor’ rule on downwind pollution
-
Ongoing Spending on Gas Infrastructure Can Worsen Energy Poverty, Impede Energy Transition, Maryland Utility Advocate Says
-
That job you applied for might not exist. Here's what's behind a boom in ghost jobs.