Cold case victim: Authorities trying to identify 1980 homicide victim with ties to Pinellas County
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Authorities are trying to figure out the identity of a woman whose remains were located in October 1980 in Brevard County.
Who is Jane Doe?
The backstory:
In 1980, authorities in Brevard County recovered the remains of an African American woman they recognized as someone who had been arrested in Pinellas County.
At the time of her arrest, authorities say she gave the fictitious name Joanne English, along with a date of birth and Social Security number that were also false.
She was 5’6" tall, weighed 120 pounds, and was estimated to be between 21 and 30 years old at the time of her death.

Authorities are trying to identify a woman whose remains were found in in Brevard County in October 1980. Image is courtesy of the DNA Doe Project.
DNA Doe Project
Dig deeper:
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office brought the case to the DNA Doe Project in 2019, and lab analysis of a sample of her remains yielded a DNA profile that was uploaded to GEDmatch.com and FamilyTreeDNA.com - the two databases that can be used for investigative genetic genealogy on law enforcement cases.
Investigative genetic genealogists with the DNA Doe Project said they have analyzed her DNA relatives and how they relate to each other and to Jane Doe to try to find the right branch of her family tree to find her name.
The DNA Doe Project added that it’s been a meticulous process working with distant relatives and genealogical records that are often incomplete and difficult to access.
Identifying Jane Doe
Why you should care:
"Jane Doe's" case is an open homicide, and finding her true identity may be the first step in solving the crime.
"African Americans are underrepresented in the DNA databases we use, so it’s been slow-going," said Jenny Lecus, team co-leader on the case. "We really need more members of the public to upload to help us fill in the gaps and connect the dots between her genetic relatives and our Jane Doe."
How to help law enforcement
What you can do:
According to the DNA Doe Project, anyone who has taken a direct-to-consumer DNA test at sites like Ancestry.com, 23andMe.com, or MyHeritage.com can download their profile and upload it to DNAJustice, GEDmatch and FTDNA and allow law enforcement searching.
Genealogists said they have traced a branch of Jane Doe’s tree to Anson, North Carolina, so uploads from people whose families are in that area are particularly important.
"We’re asking anyone who grew up in Anson in the ‘70s and might have known this Jane Doe to reach out to us," said Janel Daniels, team co-leader on this case. "Someone may also recognize her from her time living in the Clearwater area of Florida."
Anyone who recognizes this woman is asked to contact the DNA Doe Project at case-tips@dnadoeproject.org.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the DNA Doe Project.
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