Missing and Unidentified Humans Remains Program Funding Supports the Identification of a 1983 Jane Doe After a 41-Year Investigation

On August 15, 1983, the body of an adult female was found near a canal access road in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix, Arizona. All initial attempts to identify the Jane Doe via fingerprints, dental records, and DNA testing failed, resulting in the identity of this Jane Doe being unknown for the following 41 years.

In March 2011, Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office (MCMEO) exhumed the body of the Jane Doe and subsequently submitted a DNA sample from these remains to the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) Crime Lab. The PPD Crime Lab generated a DNA profile for the Jane Doe, which was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), however, no association was made to any missing persons case.

In May 2016, PPD’s Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit engaged Parabon NanoLabs to perform DNA phenotyping. The phenotype report indicated that the Jane Doe was of Native American ancestry and provided a composite sketch. In 2018, Parabon utilized Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) to generate a list of distant relatives of the Jane Doe, which indicated that she was likely a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

Utilizing this affiliation information, PPD targeted the San Carlos area through sharing the composite sketch on social media. These outreach efforts led to the development of an investigative lead in November 2018 when the family of Peggy Elgo came forward to report her missing, stating they last had contact with Peggy in 1983 and that she strongly resembled the composite sketch. PPD obtained DNA samples from Peggy’s family members, however, DNA analysis indicated that Peggy was not this Jane Doe. As such, PPD opened a missing person case on Peggy and uploaded her DNA profile to CODIS. Peggy’s DNA profile was ultimately associated to a different Jane Doe that was found on June 7, 1983, in a desert area in Pinal County, Arizona.

In May 2021, after seeing a social media post about the outstanding Jane Doe case, the adopted sister of Lori Longchase contacted PPD stating Lori was last seen in 1983 but was never reported missing. PPD and MCMEO were able to obtain Lori’s dental records from the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, which were compared to the post-mortem dental records of the Jane Doe. The dental records were consistent with the Jane Doe being Lori, however, there was not enough information in the records to make a positive identification. Through the investigation, it was discovered that Lori had given birth to a son who died in infancy. PPD and MCMEO obtained an exhumation order to the son’s grave in November 2021. The son’s remains were found to be in poor condition and while testing was completed, no conclusive results were obtained.

In 2023, PPD discussed the case with Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO). Given there was reason to believe the Jane Doe died as a result of a sexually motivated homicide, MCAO was able to utilize their Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) funding to support additional DNA testing for comparison purposes. Unfortunately, due to the condition of the remains, these attempts were unsuccessful.

In 2024, a sample from the son’s remains was sent to the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) for additional DNA testing supported through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program funding. Through exhaustive DNA testing, UNTHSC was able to generate enough data to verify that this Jane Doe was indeed Lori Longchase.