Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Teenager’s Body Found in Las Vegas Field After 44 Years Finally Identified

LAS VEGAS >> In a significant breakthrough, authorities announced on Tuesday that the body discovered in 1979 in an open field near the bustling intersection of the Las Vegas Strip has been identified as Gwenn Marie Story, a 19-year-old teenager from Ohio who had embarked on a journey to find her biological father.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department revealed that for over four decades, the unidentified body was known as “Sahara Sue Doe,” named after the intersection where it was found. However, thanks to advancements in DNA testing, the teenager’s true identity was finally unveiled last month.

The body was initially found by a man on the night of August 14, 1979, while he was strolling through a vacant lot near the northern edge of the Las Vegas Strip. The young woman had distinctive wavy hair and had painted her fingernails and toenails in a vibrant shade of red.

Today, the iconic Strat Hotel dominates the surrounding area, overlooking the intersection that is home to the Sahara hotel-casino.

Authorities believe that the victim had passed away within 24 hours prior to the discovery, based on information recorded in a database maintained by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

An autopsy conducted at the time revealed that she had been a victim of homicide, but due to the lack of identification, investigators were unable to progress with the case until they collaborated with a private DNA testing laboratory in September of last year.

Othram, a renowned forensic genealogy analysis firm, released a statement on Tuesday, stating that their scientists had successfully constructed “a comprehensive DNA profile for the woman.” This breakthrough led authorities to potential relatives who provided DNA samples, ultimately confirming that “Sahara Sue Doe” was indeed the missing Ohio teenager, Gwenn Marie Story.

Relatives of Story informed the police that she had left her home in Cincinnati during the summer of 1979, embarking on a journey to locate her father in California. She had traveled alongside two male friends. Tragically, her family never heard from her again.

Upon their return to the Cincinnati area in August of the same year, the two friends informed Story’s family that they had left her in Las Vegas. Coincidentally, it was during that very month that Story’s lifeless body was discovered near the Las Vegas Strip.

Now that Gwenn Marie Story’s identity has been established, the Las Vegas Police Department has redirected its focus towards investigating the circumstances surrounding her death and the involvement of her two friends.

This breakthrough in Story’s case is a significant outcome of advancements in genetic testing, which have played a vital role in solving long-unsolved cases, including missing persons, homicides, and sexual assault cases.

Earlier this year, Othram successfully assisted Nevada State Police in identifying another victim who remained nameless for 45 years. This unidentified individual’s heavily decomposed remains were discovered in a garment bag in a remote area of northern Nevada in October 1978, less than a year prior to the discovery of Gwenn Marie Story’s body in Las Vegas. The victim in that case, Florence Charleston, also hailed from Ohio, further highlighting the connection between these tragic incidents.

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