“Teenager’s Body Found in 1979 in Las Vegas Identified as Gwenn Marie Story from Ohio”

Accident – death – Obituary News : LAS VEGAS — (AP) — The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced on Tuesday that the body discovered in an open field in 1979 near what is now a bustling intersection of the Las Vegas Strip has finally been identified. The remains belong to Gwenn Marie Story, a teenager from Ohio who had left her home that year in search of her biological father.

For the past 44 years, she was simply known as “Sahara Sue Doe,” a nickname derived from the intersection where she was found. However, advancements in DNA testing have recently led to her identification.

The body was initially discovered on the night of August 14, 1979, by a man walking through a vacant lot near the northern edge of the Las Vegas Strip. The victim, Gwenn Marie Story, was a 19-year-old with wavy hair, and her fingernails and toenails were painted in a striking red shade.

Today, the iconic Strat Hotel overlooks the intersection where the body was found, which is now home to the Sahara hotel-casino.

Authorities believe that the victim had died within 24 hours prior to the discovery, as noted in the case entry maintained by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. An autopsy revealed that she had been the victim of a homicide, but her identity remained a mystery until last September when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department collaborated with a private DNA testing laboratory.

Othram, a forensic genealogy analysis specialist, played a crucial role in the identification process. Their scientists meticulously built a comprehensive DNA profile for the woman, allowing authorities to trace possible relatives who ultimately provided DNA samples. The samples confirmed that “Sahara Sue Doe” was, in fact, the missing Ohio teenager, Gwenn Marie Story.

According to Story’s relatives, she had left her home in Cincinnati in the summer of 1979, determined to find her father in California. Accompanied by two male friends, she embarked on this journey but was never heard from again by her family. Interestingly, the two friends returned to the Cincinnati area in August of that same year, coinciding with the month when Story’s lifeless body was discovered. They informed the police that they had left her in Las Vegas, raising suspicions about their involvement in her untimely demise.

With the identification of Gwenn Marie Story, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will now shift its focus to investigating the circumstances surrounding her death and the potential roles of her two male companions.

This breakthrough comes as a result of significant advancements in genetic testing, which have enabled the identification and resolution of long-unsolved cases. From missing persons and homicide investigations to sexual assault cases, these advancements have revolutionized the field of forensic science.

Earlier this year, Othram assisted Nevada State Police in identifying another victim who had remained nameless for 45 years. The heavily decomposed remains of Florence Charleston 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, went missing from Ohio.

The successful identification of Gwenn Marie Story and Florence Charleston underscores the importance of continued advancements in genetic testing and forensic genealogy analysis. These breakthroughs offer hope in bringing closure to families and justice to victims, even in cases that have remained unsolved for decades..