Officials have announced on Thursday that they have identified the woman who was found murdered on the side of a rural road approximately 50 miles southwest of Chicago in 1976. The victim’s name is Morris and the incident occurred in Illinois.
Officials have recently identified the young woman who was found deceased in Grundy County. Previously unknown, the woman has now been identified as JoAnne “Vicki” Smith, who was just 20 years old at the time of her death.
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Surviving relatives were traced by detectives using the woman’s DNA. Smith’s body was identified earlier this year after authorities found a DNA match.
It has been almost half a century since their beloved family member disappeared from their residence in Ohio in 1976, leaving her family with unanswered questions and a deep sense of longing.
According to the Grundy County coroner, John Callahan, the case had gone cold.
In 2018, the coroner’s office decided to re-examine the case and exhume the remains of an unidentified woman. The efforts paid off this year when the woman’s genetic profile was matched to the Smith family, who hailed from Ohio.
Ronnie Smith, the brother of the missing woman, recollects the morning when she went missing.
According to Ronnie, JoAnne was his elder sister and his mother’s favorite. Sadly, she went missing from their Cincinnati home back in 1976 and was never found. Ronnie was only 8 years old when his sister vanished, leaving him and his family devastated.
Ronnie Smith expressed his disbelief at the idea of someone staying out at night in their household, as it was not a norm. He mentioned that such an event never occurred before, especially not in his mother’s home. He further added that the thought of being buried in an unmarked grave would be devastating.
Smith expressed that although he has obtained closure by learning about his sister’s fate, his main priority is to track down the individual accountable for her tragedy.
“We firmly believe that whoever committed this heinous act against her, will be brought to justice if they are still alive,” he asserted.
According to William Button, who served as the Grundy County coroner in 1976, the identification was nothing short of “amazing.”
Button expressed his amazement, stating, “I’ll be honest with you, it’s unbelievable. Just consider the incredible advancements that have been made in DNA technology.”
According to investigators, the case of JoAnne “Vickie” Smith was complicated by the fact that she was adopted and had her name changed multiple times. This made it challenging to locate her family and loved ones.
In a future ceremony, her late parents will be reunited with her remains and interred together
