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4w ago

Skeletal Remains of Missing 13-Year-Old Girl Identified After 50 Years

Laura O'Malley's remains, found in a California riverbed in 1995, were identified through advanced forensic genealogy, but the circumstances of her death remain unknown.

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FILE: The Pajaro River. The remains of Laura O’Malley, which were found near the banks of the river in 1995, were recently identified.
Laura O’Malley was a New York teen who had been missing since 1975. Her remains, which were found near Watsonville in the 1990s, were just identified with DNA analysis.

Overview

  • Laura O'Malley, a 13-year-old from Queens, New York, went missing in August 1975 after conflicts with her stepfather and was never seen again.
  • Partial skeletal remains discovered in a Santa Cruz County riverbed in 1995 were identified as O'Malley's nearly 30 years later using advanced forensic genetic genealogy.
  • The identification was made possible through a collaboration between the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and Othram, a forensic DNA analysis company, between 2022 and 2023.
  • Authorities have not determined how or when O'Malley arrived in California, nor the circumstances surrounding her death, which remain under investigation.
  • O'Malley's family, who searched for her for decades, now has long-awaited answers, though many questions about her disappearance persist.