Public’s Help needed in 2000 Jane Doe cold case
DNA Doe Project working to identify woman found near Kilgore, TX
Kilgore, TX – Investigative Genetic Genealogists with the DNA Doe project want the public’s help to identify a woman whose remains were found in a wooded area five miles northeast of Kilgore, Texas in December, 2000.
Unidentified for more than 24 years, Jane Doe was likely between 30-50 years old and between 4’10” and 5’3” tall, weighing approximately 115 pounds. Authorities believe she died up to two years before she was found a few days before Christmas, 2000.
In the fall of 2021, DNA Doe Project took on the case that had been started by the team at Parabon Nanolabs. A group of four expert investigative genetic genealogists and six support staff have been working diligently since then to build Jane Doe’s family tree based on her DNA relative matches in the databases at GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA. This work has been complicated by the fact that Jane Doe’s heritage is 100% Amerindian with ties to Guatemala and other Central American countries. Many of her distant genetic relatives were adopted, which further hampers the genealogy work.
“It’s a tough road building a family tree that traces back to Central America – the records are hard to access and the databases we use don’t have a lot of matches we can work with,” said Lance Daly, team co-leader on the Kilgore Jane Doe case. “We need more people of Guatemalan and Central American heritage to upload DNA profiles to GEDmatch, FamilyTreeDNA, and DNAJustice.”
In 2021, Parabon Nanolabs did a phenotyping analysis of the DNA results from Kilgore Jane Doe and produced a facial reconstruction. This process predicts physical features such as hair, eye, and skin color based on the specific genetic variants within her DNA profile. While the resulting portrait is an estimate only, it aligns with observations made by authorities at the time her remains were recovered.
“Someone out there is missing this woman. We won’t give up our work to bring her home to her family and community, but we need to see that close relative match in the database to find her name,” said Trish Bird, team co-leader and Indigenous Liaison for DNA Doe Project.
Anyone who recognizes this Jane Doe or has a missing family member that matches the description and details of this case is encouraged to reach out to the DNA Doe Project at case-tips@dnadoeproject.org.
Description
On December 23, 2000 human remains were found between a railroad track and a creek in a wooded area along Spinks Chapman Road about 5 miles northeast of Kilgore, Texas. Clothes found at the scene were a white Adidas® shirt with black stripes on the sleeve, blue jeans, white bra and panties, and brown leather shoes from Mexico. Forensic investigators determined the remains to be female, 30-50 years old, approximately 4’0″ to 5’2″ tall, weighing about 115 lbs. While initially thought to be African American, DNA results from Parabon Nano Labs, Inc. indicate she was of mostly Central American heritage, likely with indigenous ancestry. The analysis also showed the woman had black hair, brown or dark eyes, and light brown skin. Authorities believe the woman died sometime between 1999 and 2000.
In collaboration with: CeCe Moore, the lead genetic genealogist with Parabon Nano Labs, Inc.
NamUs ID: UP3467
Date Body Found: December 23, 2000
Race: Native American
Sex: Female
Estimated Age: 30-50
Estimated PMI: 1-2 years
Location: Kilgore, TX
Agency of Jurisdiction
Kilgore Police Department
Joey Chitwood, Detective Sergeant
903-218-6905
joey.chitwood@cityofkilgore.com
Link to More Information
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/3467/
https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Gregg_County_Jane_Doe_(2000)
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/641uftx.html
https://www.kilgorenewsherald.com/news/kilgore-police-searching-for-answers-in-years-old-cold-cases/article_1cff5056-27af-11ec-af50-e78a6b372f0e.html
Status: Research in Progress
Image Credit: Parabon Nanolabs Phenotyping
Last Updated: February 18, 2025
