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Teen Found in California Vineyard Grave Identified Nearly 50 Years Later; Family Calls for Justice
By LCCN Staff Report
Fox News, citing the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, reports that a 15-year-old girl whose remains were found buried in a shallow grave beneath a Kern County vineyard in 1978 has finally been identified, bringing long-awaited answers to her family after nearly five decades.
Authorities identified the victim as Michelle Louise Collier of Fresno through forensic investigative genetic genealogy, an advanced DNA technique that matched her remains to surviving relatives.
Collier disappeared from Fresno in February 1978. Four months later, a tractor operator discovered her skeletal remains while working a vineyard near Arvin. Her death was ruled a homicide, but investigators were unable to identify her using the forensic technology available at the time, and the case went cold.
According to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the breakthrough came after investigators developed a DNA profile from the remains and located possible relatives. A DNA sample from Collier’s mother ultimately confirmed her identity.
Michelle’s sister, Cynthia Dunbar, said the family finally has some measure of closure after spending 48 years wondering what happened to their loved one.
The homicide investigation remains active, and authorities continue seeking information.
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