Overview
- El Cajon police confirmed the victim’s identity as 30-year-old Alicia Ledezma Sanchez after a familial DNA comparison with her son.
- Sanchez’s body was found on Aug. 13, 1998, in a ravine near Avocado and Chase avenues, partially decomposed and believed to have been deceased up to six weeks.
- Her death is classified as a homicide, the cause of death has not been made public, and investigators have not announced any arrests.
- Volunteer cold-case investigators worked with Othram and Parabon since 2023 using genetic genealogy and phenotyping, which indicated ancestral roots in Michoacán, Mexico.
- Earlier efforts, including a 2003 forensic facial sculpture and a 2008 DNA profile, did not identify her, and authorities are now seeking tips via the ECPD Investigation Division, the cold case email, or Crime Stoppers.