(LEX 18) — Police in Connecticut have solved a 50-year-old cold case involving a Kentucky woman.
DNA testing has led to the identity of Linda Sue Childers, a woman from Louisville, whose remains were found in a shallow grave in Ledyard, Connecticut, back in May 1974.
Connecticut State Police says her remains were found in connection to a double homicide that occurred in 1970. Authorities say she used the alias "Lorraine Stahl," and they could not verify her identity.
NBC Connecticut reports that state police arrested the homicide suspects, who were convicted and have since died. However, no one knew who she was for more than 50 years.
According to DNAsolves.com, a database that uses genetic testing to solve cold cases, the case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in July 2011.
The website reports that forensic evidence was submitted to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, in July 2022. Scientists extracted DNA from the remains, and through their investigation, they found potential relatives of Childers.
Othram is honored to assist the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, as part of an ongoing collaboration, in identifying a 1974 homicide victim, previously known as "Lorraine Stahl", as Linda Sue Childers, born September 4, 1946. #dnasolveshttps://t.co/FO1X6UJWmW
— Othram Inc. (@OthramTech) March 13, 2024
Once a family member of Childers also provided DNA, authorities were able to confirm her identity.
DNAsolves.com reports that Childers' daughter and sister were notified of her identification.
