The body of a Virginia teenager has finally been identified nearly five decades after she went missing from her home.
Authorities say that the remains, which were found more than 20 years ago by a construction crew, belong to Patricia Agnes Gildawie, who was also known as “Choubie.”
She went missing from her home in Fairfax County in February 1975, and her skeleton was discovered behind an apartment complex in the area of McLean, Virginia, on 27 September 2001.
Investigators initially believed that the victim, who died from a gunshot wound to the head, was an African-American female aged in her late teens to early 20s.
Cold case detectives worked with forensic experts at Othram, a genealogy company that specialises in unresolved murder and disappearances, to identify Gildawie as the victim earlier this year.
Advanced DNA testing and forensic-grade genome sequencing identified a half-sister of the victim, who was born in France and moved to the US at the age of eight months old.
Authorities say that prior to her disappearance at the age of 17, she had been dating an older man who had worked at an upholstery store in Vienna, Virginia.
Fairfax County Police Department says that it will continue to investigate the case with new information obtained from the victim’s family.
“Identifying this young woman solves a mystery that has been more than 47 years in the making,” said Ed O’Carroll, Fairfax County Bureau Commander of Major Crimes and Cyber and Forensics in a statement.
“Our community should take comfort in knowing that our detectives never stop working these cases.
“Advancements in technology have given my Cold Case detectives an opportunity to pursue fresh leads and bring some relief to families that have been long-suffering with the unknown.”
Investigators say they have not identified any suspects in the case.
