Latest news with #MarinCountyJaneDoe
CBS News
21-03-2025
- CBS News
Woman identified 59 years after remains found by hunter on California cliff
Authorities have identified a woman whose body was found on a California cliff nearly 60 years ago. The remains were found near the end of a road in Tiburon, California by a hunter on Dec. 18, 1966. Authorities were able to determine that the body was that of a woman between the age of 45 and 60, but could not identify her or determine a cause of death, according to a news release from the forensic genetic genealogy company Othram. Investigators were able to determine that the woman had been seen at a fire station three months before her body was found. At the station, she told firefighters that she was stranded and had no money for a taxi, according to a newspaper clipping published at the time. She asked if she could sleep at the fire station, but firefighters refused and she walked away. Another newspaper article published at the time said that the remains were badly decomposed, and that authorities estimated that the body had been on the cliff for several months before it was discovered. No missing persons reports matched the remains, the article said. The woman became known as "Marin County Jane Doe." The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and attempts were made to identify the woman, but no leads panned out. In 2022, the Marin County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence from the case to Othram, and scientists at Othram's Woodlands, Texas lab developed a DNA profile from that evidence. The DNA profile was used in a forensic search which led to relatives of the unidentified woman. The investigation was able to identify the woman as Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt, nee Williams. Othram did not share any information about Vaillancourt or her surviving family members. She is buried at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery and Mortuary in San Rafael, California. Othram said that this is the 56th case in California where officials have publicly identified an individual using the company's technology.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Marin County Jane Doe' identified after six decades of mystery
(KRON) — A body that was found on a Tiburon cliff in 1966 by a hunter was recently identified after six decades of mystery. The red-haired woman, who was called 'Marin County Jane Doe' while her identity was unknown, was wearing a red cotton dress and a white trench coat when she died, according to Using advanced DNA testing and samples stored by the Marin County Sheriff's Office, investigators at Othram's laboratory in Texas determined that her name was Dorothy Jean Williams, wrote. Williams was found deceased by a hunter who alerted authorities on December 18, 1966. Her cause of death was never determined. The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Through the initial investigation, investigators learned that a woman who matched 'Marin County Jane Doe's' description was seen at a fire station three months before the body was found. 'At the station, the woman stated that she was stranded and had no money for a taxi. After asking if she could sleep at the fire station, firefighters refused, and the woman walked away,' wrote. In 2022, the Marin County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram's laboratory, where scientists created a DNA profile using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing. The DNA led to relatives of Williams. 'Dorothy was buried at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery and Mortuary in San Rafael, California prior to her identification,' wrote. Her married name was Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt and she was born in Tasmania. Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer for Othram, said, 'From the perspective of the family of this woman, she just disappeared, and they may have thought they'd never know where she went. It doesn't matter how old a case is, or whether it was hopeless in the past, there is technology here today that works, and it is able to give answers to a lot of families.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
