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Cold-case Break: DNA Doe Project Identifies 2007 Tennessee 'Jane Doe' as Connecticut Native Mary Alice Maloney

03:07 PM, 11/27/2025

The DNA Doe Project identified remains found in Tennessee in 2007 as Connecticut native Mary Alice Maloney. The body, discovered Nov. 14, 2007, showed signs of gunshot and blunt-force trauma and was believed to have been at the site for several months. Genetic genealogy revealed both African American and recent Puerto Rican ancestry; a distant cousin's uploaded DNA profile led investigators to a Connecticut family tree. Police hope the identification will help generate new leads in the homicide investigation.

A long-unsolved homicide case has advanced after the nonprofit DNA Doe Project used investigative genetic genealogy to identify remains found in Tennessee in 2007 as Mary Alice Maloney, a Connecticut native.

La Vergne police discovered the woman's body on Nov. 14, 2007, in a remote wooded area. Investigators reported the decedent was unclothed, had been shot in the head, and had jewelry scattered nearby. The medical examiner also noted signs of blunt-force trauma. Authorities estimated the body had been at the scene for roughly six months before it was found, likely degrading other physical evidence.

“If there was any evidence that would’ve been found, due to the time period it would have deteriorated or disappeared.”

— Steve Crotts, La Vergne Police Department

After years of limited leads, La Vergne police contacted the DNA Doe Project in 2020 to apply investigative genetic genealogy, a method that combines DNA analysis with traditional genealogical research to locate biological relatives and reconstruct family trees.

How the match was made

Initial forensic analysis indicated the woman was likely African American or multiracial, about 5'5" to 5'6" tall and between 25 and 49 years old, with short brown hair; investigators estimated she died in spring or summer 2007. The DNA Doe Project's testing also revealed recent Puerto Rican ancestry in addition to African American heritage.

Investigators uploaded the decedent's DNA profile to public genealogy databases, including GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, but early searches produced only very distant matches. Roughly nine months into the investigation a newly uploaded profile belonging to a distant cousin provided a crucial lead.

“When we built back her family tree we found that she had a very distant cousin who had moved up to Connecticut, and that distant cousin had married a Puerto Rican man. That, for us, was a significant clue, and when we began looking into it, we realized that they had a daughter and that daughter had just vanished from the radar around 2007.”

— Matthew Waterfield, DNA Doe Project

Using genealogical reconstruction, the team traced the family line and identified the Jane Doe as Mary Alice Maloney. La Vergne police are hopeful the identification will generate new investigative leads and potentially point to suspects or persons of interest in the homicide.

The case remains under investigation. Authorities are asking anyone with information about Mary Alice Maloney or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death to contact the La Vergne Police Department.

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