Teen found dead in Arizona dumpster is identified after 40 years, officials say
A 14-year-old girl left to go swimming in 1984 and then vanished, and now her remains have been identified 40-plus years later, a nonprofit group said.
However, mystery remains about Renee Isabel Nilsson’s death.
The teen was reported missing in May 1984, after she left home for a swim and never came back, according to the DNA Doe Project.
The next month, partial remains were discovered in a Phoenix dumpster, the group said.
The remains belonged to a girl “initially thought to be older” and then estimated to be 16-18 years old, according to the group.
While “it was quickly established that she was a victim of homicide,” officials weren’t able to identify her, the group said.
Then decades later, in 2023, the DNA Doe Project — which uses investigative genetic genealogy to identify the unidentified — got involved, according to the group.
A DNA profile was developed and the group identified the Jane Doe’s parents, according to DNA Doe Project.
“When her remains were found in 1984, (the Jane Doe) was believed to be substantially older than 14,” team leader Trish Bird said, per the group. “But science has now caught up, with modern forensic anthropology and investigative genetic genealogy finally leading us to Renee.”
DNA testing established that the Jane Doe was Nilsson, the group said.
A Maricopa County spokesperson confirmed the identification in a July 30 email to McClatchy News.
In a July 31 email to McClatchy News, a Phoenix Police Department official said the “Cold Case Homicide Unit is aware of this development and are now working to identify any leads now available. This remains an ongoing investigation.”
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