Overview
- Missouri City police found unidentified human remains on Jan. 29, 2020, and an autopsy determined the victim was a female homicide victim between about 13 and 18 years old.
- Investigators were unable to get a standard nuclear DNA profile from the degraded remains, which delayed identification for years and led Missouri City to request state cold case help in November 2022.
- The Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit worked with the University of North Texas to develop a mitochondrial DNA profile and used forensic investigative genetic genealogy with Bode Technology and Astrea Forensics to confirm the match.
- State officials announced Monday that the remains have been positively identified as Kristen Galvan, a 15-year-old who disappeared from Montgomery County in January 2020 and was previously identified as a human trafficking victim.
- Authorities say the homicide investigation is active, are withholding investigative details, and are asking anyone with information to contact the OAG Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit by email, with the identification likely to generate new leads and possible arrests.