Rabbi joins 1989 Mohave County cold case search

Rabbi looks to identify Arizona 'Jane Doe' after DNA evidence reveals new details

Mohave County investigators are using investigative genetic genealogy to identify a homicide victim found in 1989. The DNA came back as 96% Ashkenazi Jewish, prompting a renewed search for her identity. FOX 10's Megan Spector learns more as a local rabbi joins the search.

MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. - An Arizona rabbi is on a mission to identify a Mohave County Jane Doe after DNA evidence reveals she was likely Jewish. Investigators, researchers and a local rabbi are working to solve this 36-year-old mystery.

Local perspective:

Standing by a grave with no name, Chabad Rabbi Mendel Super is searching for answers.

"Almost 40 years later, she doesn’t have a name," Super said.

What we know:

In 1989, homicide investigators found the woman’s decomposed body. The initial autopsy estimated she was between 25 and 30 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall, and 115 pounds. New renderings show what she may have looked like, but much remains unknown.

"The autopsy revealed her nose had been broken, but they couldn’t even determine a manner of death because she was so decomposed," Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Lori Miller said.

A recent breakthrough using investigative genetic genealogy revealed her DNA is 96% Ashkenazi Jewish.

"IGG significantly narrows the pool of people who could be Mohave County Jane Doe," David Gurney, director of the IGG Center at Ramapo College, said.

Why you should care:

But it introduces new challenges that complicate ancestry tracing.

"When you’re dealing with Ashkenazi Jewish genealogy, you have this problem of endogamy," Gurney said.

Because of that, a person with 100% Ashkenazi DNA can have more than 100,000 DNA matches in popular genetic databases. 

What they're saying:

But Super refuses to give up.

"I’m the Rabbi of this county and I can’t rest if there’s a Jew laying here at Mountain View Cemetery in such awful circumstances," Super said.

Dig deeper:

Researchers, investigators and a local rabbi are all chasing one goal.

"I’ve been in strong contact with Investigator Miller with the Sheriff’s Office," Super said. "I’ve run different leads by her- leads that come in to me I’ve passed to her."

"What we really are waiting for is for more individuals of related ethnic background to take DNA tests," Gurney said. "Anybody could turn out to be the person that helps to resolve this case."

"Obviously it’s a homicide investigation and we won’t ever exhaust that avenue of investigation- but our primary goal here is just: who is she?" Miller said.