A woman who was murdered on the side of a rural road about 50 miles southwest of Chicago in 1976 has been identified, officials said Thursday.
The woman found deceased in Grundy County had no name. On Thursday, officials named her as JoAnne “Vicki” Smith, who died at the age of 20.
Detectives say the woman’s DNA helped them find living relatives. Earlier this year, authorities identified Smith’s body based on a DNA match.
For nearly 50 years, her family has wondered what happened to their loved one, who went missing from their Ohio home in 1976.
“The case went cold,” stated John Callahan, the Grundy County coroner.
However, in 2018, the coroner’s office investigated further and exhumed the unidentified woman’s bones. This year, the woman’s DNA profile led detectives to the Smith family, who are originally from Ohio.
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“I remember that morning when she went missing,” said her brother, Ronnie Smith. Ronnie described JoAnne as his older sister as the “apple of my mother’s eye.” She disappeared from their Cincinnati home in 1976 and was never seen again. Ronnie was just eight years old when his sister disappeared.
“That wasn’t normal in our house,” Ronnie Smith explained. “Nobody stayed out at night. That didn’t happen at my mother’s house. “I can’t imagine anything more devastating than being buried in an unmarked grave.”
Smith stated that while he has found closure in understanding what happened to his sister, his current emphasis is on finding the individual guilty.
“We will always believe, and we will believe, that whoever perpetrated this crime against her, if they’re alive, they will be brought to justice,” according to him.
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In 1976, William Button, the Grundy County coroner, described the identification as “amazing.”
“Unbelievable, to tell you the truth,” Button stated. “Because look at what DNA’s done” CBSNEWS Reported.
According to investigators, JoAnne “Vickie” Smith was adopted and her name changed multiple times, complicating the case and the search for loved ones.
Her bones will be buried with her late parents in a future ceremony.