Cold Case Cracks Open After DNA Technology Identifies The Jane Doe Discovered In La Vergne In 2007

After 18 years, the DNA Doe Project has successfully identified the remains of a woman found in La Vergne, Tennessee, as 40-year-old Mary Alice Maloney. A Connecticut native, Maloney had resided in the Nashville vicinity prior to her disappearance.On November 14, 2007, a police officer discovered the remains of a woman in a secluded forested area. Although there were no clothing items, some jewelry accompanied the body. Initially believed to be African American or multiracial, the woman had age estimates between 25 and 49 years at her time of death, likely occurring in spring or summer 2007.Given a lack of leads, the La Vergne Police Department enlisted the aid of the DNA Doe Project's volunteer genetic genealogists. Despite DNA degradation complicating the profiling process, they managed to upload a profile to GEDmatch Pro and FamilyTreeDNA.com. A breakthrough came in April 2021, when a closer match emerged in the databases, leading investigators to trace Maloney's family lineage back to Puerto Rican roots, confirming her identity. The project acknowledges contributions from various partners in solving this poignant case.