Jane Doe found on California cliff identified by DNA nearly 60 years later
Jane Doe found on California cliff identified by DNA nearly 60 years later The woman's body was "badly decomposed," a local news paper reported almost 60 years ago. Now, thanks to DNA testing, we know the Jane Doe's true identity.
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Fifty-eight years after the body of a woman was found by a hunter on a California cliff, a company says it has finally solved the mystery of her identity.
On Dec. 18, 1966, a hunter found the body of an unidentified woman on a cliff near Paradise Drive in Tiburon, California, around 15 miles north of San Francisco, according to a press release from Othram, a company specializing in forensic genetic genealogy.
The Jane Doe has been identified as Dorothy Williams, according to Othram. Her cause of death could not be determined.
Who was Dorothy Williams?
Othram said the woman was identified as Dorothy Jean Williams, with a married name of Dorothy Jean Vaillancourt. She was originally from Tasmania, Australia.
During the initial investigation, authorities discovered that three months before the body was found, a woman matching the Jane Doe's description asked the local fire department if she could spend the night at the station because she was stranded and had no money for a taxi, according to Othram.
When firefighters refused, Othram said in the press release that she walked away.
Williams was wearing a red cotton dress and an off-white trench coat at the time her body was discovered, according to the press release.
She had red hair, was 5'2" and weighed 105 pounds, but her body was "badly decomposed," according to a newspaper clipping pictured in the press release. She did not have any identification on her when she was discovered.
"Authorities said the body had lain in the underbrush for several months about 20 feet below Paradise Drive," according to the newspaper clipping from 1966.
Prior to her identification, she was was buried at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery and Mortuary in San Rafael, California.
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Identity remained a mystery for years
Williams remained a Jane Doe for years despite several attempts to identify her.
"Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP12018," Othram said in the press release. "Over the years, attempts were made to identify the woman to no avail."
In 2022, the Marin County Sheriff's Office, while working with the California Department of Justice, submitted evidence from the case to Othram's lab in Texas.
Using crowdfunding, Othram said its scientists were able to put together a DNA profile that led to her relatives.
Williams' identity is the 56th case in California to be solved by technology developed by Othram, according to the press release.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
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