Skeletal remains found in 1995 off of Highway 129 near Aromas have been identified as 13-year-old Laura O’Malley from Queens, New York, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
On March 22, 1995, partial skeletal remains were discovered in a riverbed off Highway 129 east of Rogge Lane.
For decades, the identity of the remains went unknown. DNA testing later determined them to be female.
In 2019, the case was re-examined and sent for further forensic testing, including carbon dating, which determined that the decedent was likely born in the 1960s, with an estimated date of death between 1977 and 1984.
From 2022-23 investigators used genealogy techniques to identify potential family members.
They eventually partnered with Houston, Texas-based Othram—a company that specializes in using DNA to solve cold cases—and developed new investigative leads.
“As a result of this collaboration, we successfully identified the remains,” the sheriff’s office stated in a press release.
Laura was reported missing in New York in August, 1975, and her family had not seen or heard from her since. It is not known when, or under what circumstances, she arrived in California.
The circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 831.471.1121.
