Investigators have identified skeletal remains found in a Kern County vineyard in June 1978 as 15-year-old Michelle Louise Collier of Fresno. After failed identification attempts and a 2007 exhumation, a recent breakthrough using Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) and assistance from Othram, the California DOJ and NCMEC produced a match. Family members who submitted DNA helped confirm the ID; the homicide investigation remains open and the family says this brings long-awaited closure.
Nearly 50 Years Later: 15-Year-Old Michelle Collier Identified After Remains Found in California Vineyard
Michelle Louise CollierCredit: Kern County Sheriff's Office's Post/Facebook
Nearly five decades after skeletal remains were discovered in a Kern County vineyard, investigators have confirmed the victim's identity as 15-year-old Michelle Louise Collier of Fresno.
Authorities say a tractor driver uncovered a shallow grave in the vineyard in June 1978. At the time, investigators were unable to identify the young woman using fingerprints or dental X-rays, and DNA technology was not advanced enough to produce a match. The case went cold.
Michelle Louise CollierCredit: Kern County Sheriff's Office's Post/Facebook
The file was reopened in 2007 when the remains were exhumed and a DNA profile was submitted to the California Department of Justice, but no family reference existed in the available databases and the investigation stalled again.
Breakthrough With Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) credits a recent breakthrough to Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG), a method that combines advanced DNA analysis with traditional genealogical research. The identification resulted from a collaborative effort between KCSO homicide detectives and coroner’s office, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the California Department of Justice and the private laboratory Othram, which provided FIGG services.
Kern County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Bakersfield, Calif.Credit: Google
Investigators say family members who submitted DNA to a genealogy database — including Michelle’s brother Kevin, his wife Nancy and their cousin Michael — led to the match and ultimately confirmed her identity as Michelle Louise Collier.
"We are grateful to finally reunite Michelle with her family after 48 years and to finally restore Michelle's name and provide her family with long-awaited answers," the KCSO said in a news release. "We remain committed to using every available scientific advancement to identify the unknown, because every person deserves their name, every family deserves answers, and no case is ever truly forgotten."
At a July 28 press briefing, KCSO Homicide Detective Ashley Thompson said the circumstances of Collier’s death "remain unknown" and that the homicide investigation is ongoing as detectives follow up on leads.
Michelle’s older sister, Cynthia Dunbar, thanked investigators for their persistence. "[Michelle] disappeared 48 years ago and it was only recently that we knew where she was. At least with this information my family has some closure," Dunbar said. Her family plans to give Michelle a proper burial after decades of uncertainty.
PEOPLE and local outlets reported on the announcement; KCSO posted the identification in a July 30 news release on its Facebook page. The sheriff’s office said it would continue to apply scientific advances to identify unknown victims and pursue leads in the case.
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