Cold case victim identified after more than 40 years in Cobb County
ByWSBTV.com News Staff
Veronica Jane Miller SOURCE: Othram, Inc.
ByWSBTV.com News Staff
COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Cobb County Police Department announced remains found in 1984 near the Chattahoochee River have been identified after decades of investigation.
The body of the unidentified woman was discovered on May 10, 1984, in a wooded area near the Chattahoochee River in southwest Cobb County.
She’s now been identified as Veronica Jane Miller, confirming her death was a homicide, according to police.
The DNA profile of the deceased was entered into national databases, including CODIS, NDIS, and NAMUS, but no matches were found.
Recently, the Cobb County Crimes Against Persons Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation, consulting Othram Labs to develop a genetic genealogy profile.
CCPD said this led to the identification of distant relatives, but it was not enough for a conclusive identification.
Further investigation located a possible half-sister of the decedent, and a DNA sample confirmed a close maternal match, establishing a strong familial link.
This evidence, along with supporting testimony from family, led Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Gulledge to confirm the identity of the deceased as Veronica Jane Miller, who was about 20 years old at the time of her death.
Miller’s family has been notified of the positive identification, and the case remains under active investigation.
Detectives urge anyone with additional information to contact the Cobb County Police Department Major Crimes Unit at (770) 499-3945.
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Georgia's Unsolved Homicides: (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
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Georgia's Unsolved Homicides: (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
Georgia's Unsolved Homicides: (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)
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Georgia's Unsolved Homicides: (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)