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A cold casemurder in Las Vegas from the 1970s has taken a major step forward.
Knewz.com has learned police have identified a woman who was left in an open field near the Las Vegas Strip in August 1979. She is Gwenn Marie Story from the Cincinnati area.
The Clark County Coroner declared Story’s death a homicide. But the cause of death never has been revealed.
The Associated Press reports that Story may have died less than 24 hours before a male discovered her body. It was in the area of the old El Rancho Vegas Hotel and Casino.
Relatives told police Story, 19, left Ohio with two male friends 44 years ago, hoping to find her biological father in California.
The friends came home from Las Vegas a short time later, saying only that they left Story in Nevada. The family never heard from her after that.
Police released sketches of Story through the years, but they never could identify her. They called her “Sahara Sue Doe.”
But that changed last year when officers turned to Othram technology. Knewz.com has reported on several cold case identities that the Texas company has resolved since January 2022.
A statement on Othram's database DNASolves.com website says that based on forensic evidence, a DNA extract was developed. It “then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile.”
That profile led to a “genetic genealogy search,” the statement says. Detectives received new leads to investigate from that.
Story’s name was confirmed in November, but details were not announced until Tuesday, December 19.
KTNV-TV reports the Las Vegas Homicide Cold Case Section now is seeking information about Story or the two males who traveled with her.
This is at least the second cold case identification Othram has announced in two days.
On Monday, December 18, a body found in Kentucky in May 1999 was identified as Roger Parham of Fort Smith, Arkansas.
His body was discovered by people fishing in Lake Barkley, southeast of Paducah. From the start, evidence pointed toward murder.
“The individual was found wrapped in heavy tire chains and anchored with a hydraulic jack,” a DNA Solves statement said.
The Kentucky State Police exhumed Parham’s body in 2016 in hopes of identifying him. DNA samples and dental records were reviewed.
But the breakthrough came with DNA extract technology by Othram earlier this year. It led to the KSP interviewing a potential relative.
It turns out Parham was wanted by the FBI. Fox News reports he was accused of raping a minor, and may have been on the run while hoping to escape trial.
Parham’s death is considered a homicide, but no arrests have been made.