A 45-year-old mystery surrounding human remains discovered in rural Nevada has finally been resolved thanks to advancements in DNA technology. In 1978, a garment bag containing the badly decomposed body of a woman was found in northern Nevada. The victim remained unidentified until Wednesday, when Nevada State Police announced a positive identification: Florence Charleston, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, who had relocated to Portland, Oregon, shortly before her death.
The circumstances surrounding Charleston's death and how her remains ended up hundreds of miles from her home remain under investigation. Police revealed that Charleston had moved to the Pacific Northwest in the early 1970s and had lost contact with her family during that time, including a niece who would later prove crucial to solving the case.
The initial discovery in October 1978 by the Pershing County Sheriff's Office included women's clothing within the garment bag. An autopsy determined the remains belonged to a woman in her 40s, but the cause of death could not be established. The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, accompanied by a composite sketch of the woman.
The image caption reads: Florence Charleston's decayed remains were found in a garment bag in Pershing County, Nevada, in 1978. (Nevada State Police via AP)
Nevada State Police joined the investigation in the spring of 1979, employing various techniques like digital facial reconstruction and dental record comparisons, but the case remained cold. The breakthrough came in March 2023 when investigators partnered with Othram Inc., a forensic genealogy laboratory. Othram used DNA extracted from the remains to create a comprehensive profile, which ultimately led them to Charleston's niece. A DNA sample from the niece confirmed the link to Charleston, finally providing a name to the unidentified woman after four and a half decades.
