In spite of these widespread efforts, though, the woman’s identity remained a puzzling mystery for decades, and her case eventually turned cold.
But that was until this year when the Fairfax County Police Department partnered up with Othram– the first private laboratory specializing in forensic genealogy to solve disappearances and murders and determine the identity of unidentified victims.
The woman’s skeletal remains were sent to the lab, where they developed a DNA extract. Then, genealogists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to construct a comprehensive DNA profile.
This profile helped Othram’s team generate various investigative leads, which were then returned to local law enforcement.
And after Major Crimes Bureau Cold Case Squad detectives followed up on these leads, they found potential relatives.
Finally, using confirmatory DNA testing, the woman’s identity was determined to be Sharon Kay Abbot Lane.
Sharon’s friends and family had last heard from her around 1987. Then, between three and four years later, her late father received a cryptic anonymous phone call from a woman. The woman just stated that his daughter was dead.
Sharon would have been thirty-four years old in December 1993 when her remains were found.
“The tragic death of Sharon Kay Abbott Lane is now closer to being solved with the help of advanced DNA testing. Our detectives will use this new information to continue to seek justice for the victim in this case,” Major Ed O’Carroll of the major Crimes, Cyber and Forensics Bureau said in a press release published on Facebook.
Fairfax County Police Department; pictured above is a photo of Sharon