A murdered woman dubbed the ‘Jeweled Mom’ has finally had her identity revealed decades later.
In 1982, the remains of a deceased woman were discovered by a real estate agent in Loxahatchee, Florida. The deceased had died as a result of being shot in the head, and her death was ruled as a homicide.
There was limited information about the victim at the time, other than her being white and that she was presumed to be between the ages of 24 to 34.
It was also believed that the unidentified woman was a mother and had given birth to one or two children, CBS reports.
A sketch of the woman (Othram Inc.)
Police attempted to piece together and DNA profile for the murdered mom, but they struggled to positively identify her.
Instead, the woman earned the name ‘Jeweled Mom’ due to the accessories that were discovered on her.
As per a news release, the mom was found with ‘a silver handcrafted heart-shaped pinky ring, a gold mariner’s anchor necklace with a 180-degree twist, a wristwatch, a four marquis cut ring, and a diamond ring with 14K white gold setting’.
The case had long remained cold until the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Othram — an American corporation specializing in forensic genetic genealogy — in 2021.
The murdered mom was wearing five pieces of jewelry at the time of her death (CW34)
With the help on modern day technology, the woman has finally be identified as Leona Jean Keller, who was 37 years old when she died.
Othram used a DNA sample from someone who is thought to have been related to Keller, which lead to her identification 43 years after her death.
Original evidence taken back in the 1980s was also given to Othram, which assisted them in creating a more comprehensive DNA profile.
“Forensic evidence was submitted to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas where scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the evidence,” the news release explained.
Leona Jean Keller has been identified as the deceased (Othram)
“Using Forensic Grade Genome Sequencing, a comprehensive DNA profile was built for the unknown woman. Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team then used the profile in a genealogy search which resulted in new leads about the woman’s identity.
“These leads were provided to investigators who launched a follow-up investigation.”
The leads then helped investors find possible relatives of Keller’s, which ultimately lead to her positive identification.
Keller represents the 36th case in the State of Florida where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram.
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