Around three decades ago, Watsonville, California witnessed the discovery of partial human remains in a riverbed. Identifying whose remains these were was a tough task, the only conclusion they were able to come to was through DNA testing.
The test concluded that the victim was a female, and decades later, the remains were further tested by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and a forensic lab called Othram and now the girl’s identity is no longer a mystery.
RELATED STORIES
The remains have been identified
In a Facebook post, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the remains belonged to 13-year-old Laura O’Malley who’d gone missing from New York in August 1975.
“Laura O’Malley was reported missing in New York in August of 1975, and her family had not seen or heard from her since,” wrote the sheriff’s office.
How she ended up in California is a mystery
“It is not known when, or under what circumstances, Laura O’Malley arrived in California,” the post continued.
“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,” the post explained.
Advanced genetic genealogy led to a breakthrough
“From 2022 to 2023, our office used advanced genetic genealogy to identify potential family members. Partnering with Othram, a leader in forensic DNA analysis, we were able to develop new investigative leads,” the post elaborated.
This partnership and the conclusions they came to led to a breakthrough in the case.
How she died is still vague
“The circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation, and anyone with information related to this case is urged to call our dispatch at 831-471-1121,” the post concluded.
It also said that Laura’s family had been provided with “long-awaited answers” in the wake of the new findings.
There was an article in a newspaper at the time
An article from the New York Daily Times in 1978, three years after Laura’s disappearance, revealed that she had three siblings; two sisters and a brother.
The article also claimed that she and her siblings left their Long Island home due to their tough relationship with their stepfather.
She was adamant on leaving
Her problems with her stepfather were so extensive that she wrote her mother a note saying that she wouldn’t return home if her stepfather was still there.
They did end up separating, but Laura wasn’t aware of this. Her family is sure that she would have returned home if she did.