Gertrude Elliott-Littlehale : “Skeletal remains of 1864-born woman found in 1980s”

Human remains discovered in a plastic bag in California in 1985 have been positively identified as belonging to a woman who was born during the American Civil War and passed away over a century ago. The breakthrough in this cold case was made possible through the diligent efforts of Othram, a laboratory specializing in forensic genetic genealogy.

The skeletal remains were first unearthed in October 1985, in a plastic bag near Channel Islands Harbor, located just west of Los Angeles. At the time of discovery, it was determined that the remains belonged to a woman aged between 35 and 50 years old at the time of her death. However, no further information was available, leaving investigators with a puzzling mystery to unravel. The case was diligently investigated by officers from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office but remained unsolved for decades.

In a bid to generate new leads, case information was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2016, accompanied by a clay facial reconstruction of the woman. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement, no matches were found. It wasn’t until May 2023 that a breakthrough finally occurred when the forensic evidence from the case was submitted to Othram by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office-Cold Case Unit in collaboration with the county medical examiner’s office.

Othram’s scientists were able to extract DNA from the remains and conduct forensic-grade genome sequencing, which provided a more comprehensive profile of the individual. Through extensive genetic genealogy research, potential relatives were identified, leading to the confirmation of the woman’s identity as Gertrude Elliott-Littlehale. Born in 1864 and passing away in 1915, Gertrude’s final resting place had been disturbed, with her grave being robbed at an unspecified time. The plastic bag in which her remains were discovered was a product of the 1960s and 70s before becoming more prevalent in the 1980s, according to the United Nations’ Environment Programme.

Following the identification of Gertrude Elliott-Littlehale, Othram did not disclose the plans of the sheriff’s office regarding her remains. This successful identification marks the 38th case in California where individuals have been publicly identified using Othram’s technology. Similar breakthroughs have been made in other cases, such as the identification of Rodney Rumsey, who went missing in the 1980s, and Sherman George, a California resident whose body was unidentified until last year.

This remarkable achievement showcases the power of modern forensic technology in solving long-standing mysteries and bringing closure to families of the deceased. The tireless efforts of law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories continue to shine a light on cold cases, offering hope for resolution and justice.