New renderings look to identify ‘Jane Doe’ in 1989 Arizona cold case

MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. - Arizona officials are hoping new renderings will help identify the victim of a 1989 cold case.

The backstory:

On Nov. 24, 1989, human remains were found off Interstate 40 near the Hualapai Mountains. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office identified the remains to be a partially decomposed white woman, who was found without clothes and with her finger and toenails painted with red nail polish.

Weeks later, on Dec. 2, a detective found what was believed to be a piece of a handmade white house with a blue and purple flower pattern on the ground near a tree. 

The victim was described as 5-foot-5, around 115 pounds and between 25 and 30 years old. 

What we know:

In 2016, her DNA profile was entered into CODIS. In 2021, detectives learned the profile had been entered and contacted a forensic lab in Texas to create a DNA profile to be entered into public genealogy databases, GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, which work with law enforcement. 

"The victim was 96% Ashkenazi Jew, which made it extremely difficult to trace her ancestry and locate family members," the sheriff's office said. 

This year, investigators partnered with a public college in New Jersey that houses the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center, in hopes that the IGG team can identify the woman. The team has partnered with a forensic artist to create a rendering of what she may have looked like, based on photos of her skeletal remains, the shirt, and earrings she had on. 

What you can do:

Anyone with information on this cold case is asked to contact the Special Investigation Unit at 928-753-073, extension 4044, and reference DR#89-4531.