Katharina Buczek
On August 31, 2008, a woman’s remains were found partially buried near Lake Thunderbird in Oklahoma. And sadly, the woman’s identity remained unknown for fourteen years.
Miraculously, though, recent breakthroughs in forensic genetic genealogy have allowed the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) to identify the woman as Angela Mason.
“It is a great day when we can give a victim their name back. Utilizing forensic genetic genealogy is an investment and is, unfortunately, not possible to use in every cold case. But, for Angela, the investment paid off,” said OSBI Director Aungela Spurlock.
This news was also aptly released on August 31– marking exactly fourteen years since Angela’s remains were discovered.
According to a press release published by the OSBI on Facebook, Angela was twenty-five years old at the time of her death– and her partially decomposed body was found in a shallow grave at the intersection of 120th and Alameda by numerous fishermen.
Authorities have made numerous attempts to identify Angela over the years– including publicizing images of Angela’s unique tattoo, adding her information to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) and OSBI Cold Case Cards, as well as the release of various forensic sketches.
And at the time Angela’s body was discovered, the medical examiner concluded the remains were those of a white female, possibly of Native American heritage, who stood at about five foot five and was between thirty and forty-five years old.
Investigators also believed that the victim had been buried near Lake Thunderbird between three and fifteen months before being discovered.
Facebook; pictured above is Angela
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe.
