19-Year-Old Gwenn Marie Story Identified as Sahara Sue Doe, a Body Found in 1979 near the Las Vegas Strip

A body discovered in an open field in 1979 near what is now a bustling intersection of the Las Vegas Strip has finally been identified as that of 19-year-old Gwenn Marie Story from Ohio. Previously known as Sahara Sue Doe, she had left her home in search of her biological father and tragically became a homicide victim. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department recently announced the breakthrough in the case, thanks to advancements in DNA testing.

For over four decades, the young woman’s true identity remained a mystery. She was found near the northern edge of the Las Vegas Strip, earning her the nickname Sahara Sue Doe. However, with the help of modern DNA technology, the police were able to confirm that she was Gwenn Marie Story.

The body was initially discovered on the night of August 14, 1979, by a man walking through a vacant lot. Gwenn had wavy hair, and her fingernails and toenails were painted red. Today, the Strat Hotel stands prominently at the intersection where her body was found, which is now home to the Sahara hotel-casino.

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Story’s body was discovered by a man on Aug. 14, 1979, in a vacant lot near the northern edge of the Las Vegas Strip.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children had maintained a database entry regarding the case, stating that the victim likely died within 24 hours before being found. An autopsy confirmed that Gwenn Marie Story had been a victim of homicide, but her true identity remained a mystery until last month when the Las Vegas police partnered with a private DNA testing laboratory.

Othram, a forensic genealogy analysis specialist, provided a comprehensive DNA profile for Gwenn Marie Story. This profile helped authorities track down possible relatives who provided DNA samples to confirm her identity as “Sahara Sue Doe.”

According to Story’s family, she left her home in Cincinnati during the summer of 1979 to search for her biological father in California. Accompanied by two male friends, she embarked on a journey that would ultimately end in tragedy. The family never heard from her again.

When the two friends returned to the Cincinnati area in August of that year, they informed Story’s family that they had left her in Las Vegas. Now, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is focusing its investigation on these two individuals to determine how Gwenn Marie Story met her untimely demise near the Las Vegas Strip.

This breakthrough in Gwenn Marie Story’s case highlights the significant advancements in genetic testing, allowing law enforcement agencies to solve long-standing mysteries. Othram’s work has helped identify and apprehend suspects in various unsolved cases, including missing persons, homicides, and sexual assault cases.

Earlier this year, Othram assisted Nevada State Police in identifying another victim who had been nameless for 45 years. Florence Charleston’s heavily decomposed remains were discovered in a garment bag in a remote area of northern Nevada in October 1978, less than a year before Gwenn Marie Story was found dead in Las Vegas. Charleston, like Story, had also gone missing from Ohio.