Thanks to a process known as genetic genealogy investigations, the woman was identified on November 10 as Tammy Terrell. The body of the 17-year-old was found on October 5, 1980, according to a police report in Henderson, in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Genetic genealogy investigation is a process that uses DNA testing “to determine interpersonal relationships and identify possible relatives of unidentified victims,” the statement said.
“Detectives then used the information to contact potential relatives to try to identify missing family members,” the statement said.
Tammy was last seen at a restaurant in Roswell, New Mexico, on September 28, 1980, with an unidentified white man and woman, “possibly intending to leave New Mexico to a point unspecified arrivals in California,” the statement said.
Her body was found a week later by a motorist driving through a desert area near Arroyo Grande Avenue and Lake Mead Parkway, the statement said. In the 41 years since she went missing, police say “all attempts to identify her up to this point have been unsuccessful.”
Police say an investigation into Tammy’s death is ongoing.
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