Kern County Sheriff's detectives have identified a young woman whose body was discovered buried in a shallow grave in an Arvin vineyard in 1978 — nearly five decades after she became known only as Jane Doe.
At a press conference Tuesday, investigators announced the victim is 15-year-old Michelle Louise Collier of Fresno.
Her body was originally discovered by a tractor driver. With no name and few leads, the homicide case went cold.
Detective Ashley Thompson with the Kern County Sheriff's Office said the case lingered for decades without answers.
"This family had no had no nothing, really, for almost 50 years. And to give them news of even that we found her was was a little bit of hope for them."
Investigators credit advances in DNA analysis, fingerprint technology, dental comparisons, and forensic investigative genealogy — also known as FIGG — for helping crack the case.
Thompson said the genealogy work led them directly to Collier's family.
"The match was fairly close that we were able to pretty much identify her siblings right away, and we were able to get in contact with the next of kin being the best the best person being a mother."
Collier's older sister, Cynthia Dunbar, spoke on behalf of the family at the press conference.
"She disappeared 48 years ago, and it was only recently that we knew where she was. At least with this information, my family has some closure."
Dunbar thanked the investigators and officials who worked to identify her sister.
"I would like to thank the Kern County Sheriff's Department, Detectives Sakamoto, and Thompson from the side division, the coroner's office, Regina Roso, and all others who helped in identifying our sister Shelley's remains."
Dunbar also credited the genealogy database that made the identification possible.
"DNA submitted to the genealogy database helped identify Shelly's remains and enabled our sister Shelly to come home. Our family is grateful to her."
Key questions remain unanswered: how Collier ended up in Arvin, who killed her, and what the cause of death was. No one has been arrested in connection with her death.
Collier's family had a direct message for the person responsible.
"Your cowardice act affected our entire family, but make no mistake. Law enforcement will find you and hold you accountable. whether you are already incarcerated or dead, you will be found."
The Kern County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about this case to contact them.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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