Almost twenty years have passed since the tragic death of a woman during the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. Thanks to advanced forensic tests, authorities have finally been able to identify her remains. Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy company, revealed that Tonette Waltman Jackson, as confirmed by her family’s accounts, was swept away by the floodwaters that violently tore through her home in Biloxi, Mississippi. This heartbreaking incident occurred during the devastating hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005, claiming the life of the 46-year-old woman.
According to Michael Vogen, a case management director at Othram, Jackson had been taking refuge in the attic of her shared house with her husband, Hardy Jackson, as the water levels surged. Othram, a company known for its collaboration with law enforcement agencies to solve cold cases using DNA technology, worked alongside Mississippi authorities to identify Jackson. Tragically, both Jackson and her husband were swept away by the floods. However, Hardy was able to cling onto a nearby tree and miraculously survived the hurricane. At the time, Jackson’s family believed that her body had never been recovered.
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Jackson’s body found its final resting place at Machpelah Cemetery in Pascagoula. The headstone, bearing the inscription “Jane (Love),” serves as a poignant reminder of her status as a victim of the devastating hurricane.
Jackson’s real identity remained a puzzle until recently when the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the state Medical Examiner’s Office worked together to exhume the body in the hopes of uncovering the truth.
Scientists at Othram collaborated with the agencies to extract a DNA sample from the skeletal remains and employ forensic genome sequencing to generate a comprehensive profile of the individual. By integrating DNA profiling and testing with traditional investigative techniques to trace family trees, genetic genealogy played a crucial role in identifying potential relatives, providing investigators with fresh leads. Recently, after conducting tests on a DNA sample provided by a close family member of Jackson, her identity was officially confirmed.
Hardy Jackson shared his wife’s story in an on-camera interview with CBS affiliate WKRG right after Hurricane Katrina. In an interview with WLOX, Versiga mentioned that if he had seen that video earlier, he might have been able to uncover a lead on Tonette Jackson’s identity sooner.
“I missed it, even though I’m the expert,” he confessed to the station. “But we finally found her. We managed to restore her name, and that’s what matters most in all of this.”
