DNA Doe Project identifies Jane Doe found in Arizona in 1997 – American Crime Journal |

Lady discovered useless in burning automobile recognized as Monique Boggs

Phoenix, AZ – Almost 30 years after the charred physique of a lady was present in an deserted automobile in Phoenix, the DNA Doe Challenge has recognized her as Monique S. Boggs. Boggs was born in 1948 and was 48 years previous on the time of her demise. She was raised within the Detroit space, and her household, who knew her as Shirley Jefferson, was not conscious that she had ended up in Arizona.

On February 4, 1997 the partially burned physique of a lady was present in an deserted automobile that was engulfed in flames in Phoenix, Arizona. An empty purse with writing on the surface that included the identify “Monique” was discovered close to the physique. Forensic scientists decided that the unidentified lady was African American and between 20 and 50 years previous. Witnesses stated that she was probably an unhoused lady who had been seen within the native space earlier than.

Many years later, the Phoenix Police Division introduced this case to the DNA Doe Challenge, whose knowledgeable volunteer investigative genetic genealogists work professional bono to establish John and Jane Does. A crew of volunteers started engaged on this case in June 2020, however they quickly bumped into a number of roadblocks.

“This case confronted sure challenges that we frequently encounter in African American analysis,” stated Concord Vollmer, crew chief. “African Individuals are underrepresented within the DNA databases we’ve got entry to, whereas a part of the devastating influence of slavery was to tear households aside and depart few traceable connections between their descendants.

However, the crew assigned to this case persevered and, in January 2025, this tough work paid off. The crew got here throughout a lady who was born in Mississippi however who’d moved to Michigan as a younger baby. Her identify was Monique Boggs, and additional DNA evaluation quickly confirmed that she was the lady previously identified solely as Monique Phoenix Jane Doe.

“She was a distant cousin of a number of DNA matches to the Jane Doe, and she or he appeared to have fallen off the radar within the Nineteen Nineties,” stated case supervisor, Eric Hendershott. “However probably the most putting element was that she had modified her identify within the Nineteen Eighties to Monique – the identical identify written on the purse discovered with our Jane Doe.”

The DNA Doe Challenge is grateful to the teams and people who helped clear up this case: the Phoenix Police Division, who entrusted the case to the DNA Doe Challenge; HudsonAlpha Discovery for extraction and sequencing; Kevin Lord for bioinformatics; GEDmatch Professional and FamilyTreeDNA for offering their databases; our beneficiant donors who joined our mission and contributed to this case; and our devoted groups of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists who work tirelessly to deliver all our Jane and John Does house.

Concerning the DNA Doe Challenge

The DNA Doe Challenge is a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit group with the mission to establish John and Jane Does and return them to their households and communities. Investigative genetic family tree analysis is offered professional bono to our companions in legislation enforcement, however the group depends on donations to fund lab prices and operational assist of our volunteers. To this point, DDP has helped resolve greater than 130 instances of unidentified human stays. For extra about our work and to affix our mission, go to our web site: https://dnadoeproject.org.

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