Overview
- Officials announced Tuesday that the long‑unidentified Jane Doe found in an Arvin vineyard in June 1978 is Michelle Louise Collier, who was 15 when she disappeared.
- Investigators say the remains were never identified in 1978 because fingerprints and dental records were the main tools then and no DNA sample was collected at the time.
- Coroner staff exhumed the remains in 2007 to obtain DNA and submitted it to the California Department of Justice database but found no match because no relatives were in that system.
- A family member later uploaded DNA to a commercial genealogy database, and that consumer genealogy match, combined with advanced DNA profiling, allowed officials to confirm Collier’s identity.
- The Kern County Sheriff’s Office says the homicide investigation is open, detectives are seeking tips, the family has been reunited with remains, and relatives urged authorities to find and hold the killer accountable.