After 45 years, police have finally identified the woman whose body was found in the middle of the Nevada desert
· Jun 19, 2023 · NottheBee.com

Genetic genealogy solves another decades-long cold case:

Forty-five years after an Ohio woman went missing somewhere along the West Coast, her two remaining relatives – the woman's nieces – now know what became of their Aunt Dolly.

Unidentified human remains found in October of 1978 inside a garment bag in a remote area of Imlay, Nevada, have been identified as Florence Charleston of Cleveland, Ohio, according to Nevada State Police.

It seems that Ms. Charleston in the early 1970s "just met this guy, and went off to live her happily ever after," according to one of her surviving nieces. The family quickly lost touch with her, however. They ceased hearing from her. Private investigations turned up no evidence of her whereabouts.

In October of 1978, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office "found unidentified remains near the small town of Imlay, 133 miles northeast of Reno." The remains were in an advanced state of decay and the individual was unidentifiable.

In March of last year law enforcement began working with Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy company, to try and identify the individual. This led them to Charleston's two surviving relatives.

The family "plans to ship Charleston's remains back to Ohio for a proper burial." Police are still actively investigating the murder.


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