Laura O Malley Obituary, Death; – Investigators have recently identified a 13-year-old girl who was discovered deceased along a river in south Santa Cruz County three decades ago, thanks to DNA testing.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with the forensic DNA laboratory Othram to generate new leads in this cold case. “This partnership has enabled us to confirm that the remains belong to 13-year-old Laura O’Malley from Queens, New York,” the sheriff’s office announced on Tuesday.
O’Malley’s partial skeletal remains were located on March 22, 1995, near a river adjacent to Highway 129. It is estimated that she died sometime between 1977 and 1984.
Her family reported her missing in New York during the summer of 1975, and they never had any further contact with her. Investigators are still uncertain about how the young girl made her way to California or the circumstances surrounding her death. In recent years, Othram and the Sheriff’s Office employed advanced genetic genealogy techniques to identify possible relatives.
“We are extremely thankful for our collaboration with Othram and the forensic advancements that have finally provided answers long sought by Laura’s family. The investigation into the circumstances of her death remains ongoing,” the sheriff’s office stated.
