A homicide victim found on the side of a highway in Texas 44 years ago has been identified, thanks to DNA testing and the tenacity of investigators.
Police said the woman, recently identified as Kathy Ann Smith, was murdered on June 21, 1979. Local law enforcement officers discovered the 22-year-old victim’s remains eight days later alongside U.S. Highway 290 in Elgin. Elgin is located about 200 miles south of Dallas.
The initial investigation into the woman’s death, conducted by the Texas Rangers, was unsuccessful, and her identity remained a mystery for many years. Investigators could only determine at the time that the victim was a Caucasian female between 16 and 40 years old, weighed between 90-130 pounds, was 5′ – 5’2″ tall, and likely had brown hair.
In 1984, self-proclaimed serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to killing the unidentified woman, whom police referred to as Jane Doe. However, Lucas later recanted some of his murder confessions.
The investigation into the woman’s death was reopened in May 2019 by the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office, and the body was exhumed the following month for DNA collection and analysis. A comparison of the DNA sample with missing person files in a national database did not produce any matches.
“In 2019 the investigators used STR testing and uploaded the DNA profile into CODIS. CODIS will return exact matches and most victims are not in CODIS,” David Mittelman from Othram Labs told The Dallas Express.
In 2022, the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Othram Labs for advanced DNA testing. Othram scientists used genome sequencing to develop a comprehensive DNA profile for the mystery woman.
Othram’s in-house genealogy team used the DNA profile to begin a “forensic genetic genealogy search,” developing several leads that were turned over to county law enforcement officers, according to a press release. The sheriff’s office was able to complete the family tree and confirm the identity of the victim.
“This profile consisted of 100s of thousands of DNA markers,” Mittelman told The Dallas Express.
The case was complicated by the fact that Smith had been adopted at a young age and given a new name.
The investigation into Smith’s murder continues. Lucas remains the primary suspect in her murder, but anyone with additional information about the case is encouraged to call Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office at 512-549-5100.
During a press conference, Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook noted that an autopsy of Smith’s body showed trauma consistent with an automobile accident, which was Lucas’ known modus operandi when attacking his victims.
“Keep in mind that during the time that Henry Lee Lucas was being investigated, one of his techniques was to find someone walking down the side of the highway and run into them and disable them, so that he could attack them,” Cook said.
Lucas died in prison while serving time for an unrelated crime, CBS Austin reported.
Cook said that Smith’s family was appreciative of the progress made in the investigation, and they are working to put a headstone on Smith’s grave. Smith left behind a daughter and other family members.
“Here we have a child who did not know what happened to her mother. You talk about gratified, that is extremely gratifying to know that daughter now knows exactly what happened to her mother,” Cook said.
Here in Dallas, murder is on the rise. There have been 153 murders in the city so far this year, up 9% from the same time last year, according to police data.
