Investigators hope new rendering will aid in 36-year effort to identify Mohave County Jane Doe
By Alyssa Roberts
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Arizona (KTNV) — Investigators are probing for new leads in a Mohave County cold case, with the hope that a new rendering of the victim could help solve a 36-year-old mystery.
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday shared new details in the case, which has been under investigation since Nov. 24, 1989, when human remains were recovered off Interstate 40, approximately 1.5 miles south of mile marker 66.5, near the Hualapai Mountains.
Little is known about the victim, including her name. She’s described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, approximately 115 pounds, and between 25 to 30 years old at the time of her death.
She was found unclothed, but deputies later located a handmade white blouse with a blue/purple flower pattern in an additional search of the scene. Investigators also noted the victim’s finger and toenails were painted red.
Throughout the years since, attempts to identify the victim have been unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office stated.
In 2021, the case was assigned to the Special Investigations Unit, which contacted Texas forensic laboratory Gene by Gene to try to identify her through a DNA match.
Entering the victim’s DNA into GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA revealed she was “96% Ashkenazi Jew, which made it extremely difficult to trace her ancestry and locate family members,” sheriff’s officials stated.
In early 2026, detectives partnered with Ramapo College in New Jersey, which houses a “first of its kind” Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center. They hope the new partnership will finally solve the mystery of this Jane Doe’s identity.
“…one of the first things that the college did was partner with a forensic artist to create a rendering of what she may have looked like,” sheriff’s officials stated. “The rendering was created based on photos of her skeletal remains, the shirt found at the scene, and the earrings she was wearing when she was found.”
After 36 years, investigators believe the new rendering may inject new life into a case that has long since gone cold.
Investigators ask anyone with information about this case to contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit at 928-753-0753 and reference DR# 89-4531.
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