Police seek tips after 1997 Jane Doe homicide victim is identified
Police are searching for a suspect in a 1997 Washington state homicide after a set of remains were identified with advanced forensic technology.
The remains were found by a person walking through the woods in Wilkeson, Washington, south of Seattle, in October 1997, according to a news release from the forensic genetic genealogy company Othram. The remains were skeletal. Officials were able to determine that the remains were those of a 5-foot-5-inch woman between the ages of 20 and 50, but could not determine her identity.
The deceased woman was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved sweatshirt with a Pacific Lutheran University logo, a basketball logo and the word "LUTES" on it. She was also wearing Size 7 blue jeans and Size 4 1/2 Reebok tennis shoes.
Despite the description, no one ever came forward to identify the remains. The woman became known as Pierce County Jane Doe. Her details were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2009, but no connections were ever made.
The case remained cold for decades. In October 2023, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence from the remains to Othram to see if advanced DNA testing could make an identification. Othram scientists developed a DNA extract, then used forensic genome sequencing to build a comprehensive genealogical profile, the company said. That profile was then used for genetic genealogy research. New investigative leads discovered during that research were provided to law enforcement, Othram said.
Detectives conducted a follow-up investigation and met with potential relatives of the Pierce County Jane Doe. Reference DNA samples were collected from possible relatives and compared to the DNA profile Othram had developed. The process eventually led investigators to identify the remains.
Pierce County Jane Doe has been identified as Laurie Krage, the sheriff's office said in a statement. Othram said Krage was born in December 1959 and was "last known to be alive" in January 1996. She was married to a man named Ronald Martin, who died of natural causes in 2020, according to the sheriff's office.
The case is now being investigated as a homicide, the sheriff's office said. Anyone with information has been asked to come forward. Krage often traveled through Pierce County, the sheriff's office said, and investigators are specifically interested in her and her late husband's movements between 1995 and 1997.
Pierce County is about 45 miles from Seattle.
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