A woman discovered deceased in 1982 has been identified, over 40 years posthumously.
Her remains were uncovered by a real estate agent evaluating land in Loxahatchee, Florida, in December 1982, as reported by Othram, a company employing genetic genealogy to resolve cold cases. Loxahatchee is located in Palm Beach County, north of Miami.
Investigations revealed that the remains belonged to a White woman aged between 24 and 34. According to CBS News affiliate CW34, she was suspected to have two or more children. The cause of death was a gunshot to the head, classified as homicide. Initially, investigators created a DNA profile, which was submitted to the national database CODIS, but no matches emerged. Additionally, information about the case was also entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
Along with the remains were five pieces of jewelry, detailed by Othram as “a silver handcrafted heart-shaped pinky ring, a gold mariner’s anchor necklace with a 180-degree twist, a wristwatch, a four marquis cut ring, and a diamond ring with 14K white gold setting.” When identification proved difficult, the woman was affectionately referred to as “Jeweled Mom.”
The case remained dormant for many years. In 2021, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with Othram to utilize advanced DNA testing methods. Forensic evidence was forwarded to Othram’s lab, where scientists extracted DNA and employed modern techniques to create a new DNA profile.
Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team utilized this DNA profile to conduct a genealogy search, yielding new leads regarding the woman’s identity. This approach aims to find DNA matches to relatives rather than direct matches to the individual, assisting in identifying both victims and perpetrators in criminal cases.
These genealogy findings were passed to investigators, who initiated a follow-up investigation. They conducted interviews with potential relatives and obtained a reference DNA sample from one possible family member. This sample was then compared to the DNA profile generated by Othram.
This comprehensive process enabled investigators to conclusively identify the remains as those of Leona Jean Keller. Othram reported that Keller was 37 years old at the time of her death.
This marks the 36th case in Florida where Othram has assisted law enforcement in identifying a victim, as per the company’s records.
