Latest news with #MecklenburgCountyMedicalExaminer'sOffice
USA Today
08-04-2025
- USA Today
Remains found 29 years ago near Charlotte stadium ID'ed as woman last heard from in 1991
Remains found 29 years ago near Charlotte stadium ID'ed as woman last heard from in 1991 Remains found in a wooded area in North Carolina nearly 30 years ago have been identified as those of a woman last heard from in 1991, police announced Friday. The remains of Betty Jean Benton, which sat unidentified for nearly 30 years, were found on July 18, 1996 near what's now called Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Benton's family last heard from her in February 1991, when she said she was in North Carolina. Family members in 1992 reported her missing out of Louisiana, her home state, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said. Benton's remains were found four years later, when she would've been about 42 years old. The remains were taken to the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office, where officials determined the victim was female, police said in the news release. Officials ruled her death a homicide but detectives were unable to find out who she was. It wasn't until officials submitted remains for genetic testing in 2024 that Benton was identified soon after. Using DNA to identify slain woman To identify Benton, detectives tried a new approach in 2022 and sent the woman's remains to Raleigh for an osteological examination by a forensic anthropologist, police said in the news release. The team also sent bones to Othram Labs in Texas for advanced DNA testing. The team's first attempt to get DNA wasn't successful due to the condition of the woman's remains, police said. But in 2024, the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office sent more bones to Othram Labs for another DNA extraction, police said. Othram Labs was able to get a genetic profile this time around, police said. Investigators then loaded the woman's profile into two consumer genealogy databases that work with law enforcement, GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA. Authorities then worked with the Ramapo College of New Jersey, where genetic genealogy research allowed the center to identify the victim as Betty Benton. Detectives were able to contact her family, who let them know she hadn't been heard from since the early 1990s. They compared the woman's DNA to a DNA profile from a family member, confirming the remains belonged to Benton. Who was Betty Jean Benton? Benton was born in Louisiana on Feb. 27, 1954, police said. Although she spent most of her life in Chicago, she told family in February 1991 she was in North Carolina. Despite searching, detectives weren't able to find any record of her being in North Carolina prior to the discovery of her remains. The police department's next task is finding out what Benton was doing during the last few years of her life. Authorities ask that anyone who had contact with her in North Carolina contact detectives at (704) 432-8477. According to Charlotte police, the department's cold case unit still has nine other victims to identify, with remains having been discovered as early as 1932. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Skeleton found near BoA Stadium in 1996 identified as woman with cryptic past, CMPD says
A skeleton found in 1996 near Bank of America Stadium has finally been identified, and investigators say there is no record of the dead woman ever being in North Carolina. Police identified Betty Jean Benton through forensic genetic genealogy, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release Friday. Her death was ruled a homicide, police said. Remains found in woods near the stadium on July 18, 1996, were taken to the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office, where the victim was determined to be female, police said. 'Despite efforts to identify the victim through conventional means, detectives were unsuccessful,' police said Friday. In 2022, police sent the remains to Raleigh for an osteological examination by a forensic anthropologist. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation paid Texas-based Othram Labs to do advanced DNA testing on bones. Because of the condition of the remains, DNA couldn't be extracted, police said. Last year, the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office sent more bones to Othram Labs, which obtained a genetic profile, CMPD said. The foundation also paid for that additional testing, according to police. The victim's profile was loaded into two consumer genealogy databases, GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA. Both companies cooperate with police, according to CMPD. The CMPD Cold Case Unit partnered with the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center at Ramapo College in New Jersey to conduct investigative genetic genealogy research. IGG analysts 'quickly identified the victim as Betty Benton,' according to the CMPD statement. Police next contacted Benton family members who said she hadn't been heard from since the early 1990s. A DNA profile from a family member confirmed the victim was Benton, CMPD said. Benton was born in Louisiana on Feb. 27, 1954, police said, and spent most of her life in Chicago, Illinois. 'She was reported missing in 1992 and last contacted family members in February 1991, telling them she was in North Carolina,' according to the CMPD statement. Police have found no record of Benton in North Carolina and are asking the public for help. Anyone who contacted Benton in North Carolina is asked to speak to a CMPD police detective at 704-432-8477. As of Friday, the CMPD Cold Case Unit was still working to identify at least nine other homicide victims, whose remains were discovered as far back as 1932.
