DNA match solves identity of ‘Ms. Startex,’ missing since early 2000s
By Caitlin Ashbaugh
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STARTEX, South Carolina (WYFF) — The body of a woman, known in the Spartanburg County community as “Ms. Startex,” has been identified after years of inconclusive investigation.
The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office and Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday they positively identified a Jane Doe as Jolene Lynn White, formerly of Cowpens. The match was reported to Investigator Rick Ellis, who was among the main deputies working the case from the beginning, on Aug. 27 of this year.
Investigators determined White disappeared between 2003 and 2005. Before this disappearance, it was reported she went missing another time by law enforcement.
“I was there the day we recovered her in 2011 in Startex. It’s a personal touch for me. It’s something that, as cold case people, we look for that final day,” Ellis said. “She (her mother) even after that period of time, had a hope that her daughter was going to come walking in the door. We always speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. That’s what we do. So from that aspect, I was able to bring her to the closure.”
A body was found on October 26, 2011, along South Main Street in Startex by teenagers looking for scrap metal, according to investigators. At the time, she was determined a Jane Doe, “Ms. Startex.”
Skeletal remains were submitted to Forensic Anthropologist Suzanne Able to assist with identification and possible cause of death. During the examination, investigators determined the person was a white woman between the ages of 40 and 55. At the time, the case was then ruled a homicide based on evidence from the Coroner’s Office.
Numerous attempts were made by news stories, public posters, and forensic images to determine how the person looked. DNA profiles were generated and entered into a national database for years without success.
In 2020, Ellis looked into developments in Genealogy science, consulting with the D.N.A.Doe Project to help match profiles with possibly known family members on FamilyTreeDNA.
In April 2025, a new match was entered into the database, which investigators said was a close match. From there, investigators conducted interviews to narrow the search for a potential daughter of the person who passed away. A DNA sample was submitted to the University of North Texas for familial comparison, and a positive match for White was reported to Ellis on Aug. 27.
“It’s a personal touch for me. It, it’s something that, as cold case people, we look for that final day,” Ellis said.
“He prays about this a lot, to bring these people to a positive conclusion of who they actually are and be able to return them to their families,” Coroner Rusty Clevenger said.
D.N.A.Doe Project’s Rebecca Somerholder said White had matches for Puerto Rican descent, and her mother in the United States was her adoptive parent, making the search difficult.
“Our team included numerous support staff and ten volunteer genetic genealogists who spent more than four and a half years, painstakingly researching this case,” Somerholder said. “Today, she is no longer Miss Startex. We can say her name.”
Clevenger said without them helping to investigate the case and providing the funds, White may have never been identified. He describes the 501(c)3 program as one in desperate need of funding, especially for smaller departments like in Spartanburg County.
White’s case continues to be investigated and ruled as a homicide. Investigators are unable to provide a cause of death or motive as they continue to search for a suspect.
The Coroner’s Office said it has identified several other missing persons cases like White’s under Ellis’ time as an investigator. Investigators continue to look into the cases of three unidentified people, who go back to as far as 2016.
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