Oregon State Police announced that the body of a missing teenage boy found 54 years ago has finally been identified.
Sandra Young was a student at Grant High School in Portland, Oregon, when she went missing in 1968 or 1969, Oregon State Police announced this week.
Her skeleton was discovered by a Boy Scout troop leader in 1970 in a shallow grave on Sauvie Island along the Columbia River, along with the remains of tattered clothing and a black wig.
No one has been charged in her death, although investigators have said foul play is suspected.
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Sandra Young (left) and an image of her appearance based on analysis of her body. (Oregon State Police)
“Sandra Young has regained her identity for the first time in 54 years,” said Dr. Niki Vance, Human Identification Program Coordinator for the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. “Her story represents an incredible amount of hard work and collaboration between her family, detectives, Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office staff, and our contract laboratory, Parabon NanoLab.
“This is another example of the innovative ways the ME’s Office and genetic genealogy research are helping Oregonians find closure. This technology provides powerful tools to assist all Oregon agencies in solving cold case mysteries. It gives investigators the ability to
In 2004, Young’s body, along with more than 100 other unidentified bodies, was moved to the state medical examiner’s facility in Clackamas County.
Bone samples were sent to the University of North Texas Human Identification Center for an anthropology report.
Although her DNA profile was added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a missing persons DNA database, no match was found.
Parabon NanoLabs and GEDMatch were key in identifying Sandra Young through DNA phenotyping and genetic genealogy. (St. Petersburg)
In 2018, Young’s case was identified as one that could potentially be solved using DNA phenotyping and genetic genealogy, and the Oregon State Police Coroner’s Office was awarded a National Institute of Justice grant.
Using fragments of her bones and her genetic material, Parabon Nanolabs discovered that she was of West African, South African, and Nordic descent, with brown to dark brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair. did.
As of 2021, her true identity is still unknown, but predictions have been made about what her face will look like.
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“It was shocking to see her face come to life through DNA phenotyping,” Vance said.
Last year, someone uploaded their DNA to genetic genealogy and family tree search company GEDMatch, and a match was made with Young.
oregon state police (Oregon State Police/Facebook)
A genetic genealogist encouraged other distant relatives of Young to upload their DNA, and eventually a family tree began to emerge. Relatives said Young disappeared from Portland in 1968 or 1969.
A woman, identified as Young’s sister, was later interviewed by the Portland Police Bureau.
“Through a series of informative, heart-wrenching and difficult interviews, detectives [Heidi] Helwig learned that this person not only lost a teenage sister when Sandra went missing in 1968 or 1969, but also lost a sister to gun violence in the 1970s. said the police. If that body was their sister Sandra Young. ”
In October, a definitive profile revealed that Sandra “Sandy” Young was born June 25, 1951, and disappeared in 1968 or 1969.
The Portland Police Bureau has been encouraged by state police to investigate the circumstances of Young’s death.
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Although genetic genealogy casework is highly successful, it can cost up to $10,000 per case.
