1985 Jane Doe found in Smith County identified thanks to genetic genealogy

1985 Jane Doe found in Smith Co. identified

After nearly four decades, the Smith County Sheriff's Office has identified a Jane Doe found off the side of a highway. Her name is Sindy Gina Crow. Angela Shen has the latest details.

SMITH COUNTY, Texas - After nearly four decades, the Smith County Sheriff's Office has identified a Jane Doe found off the side of a highway.

Her name is Sindy Gina Crow. Her remains were found on Oct. 1, 1985, by Texas Department of Transportation crews along I-20 east of Hwy 69.

The 27-year-old from Arlington had married in January 1984 and had a child in July of that year. She was found with a shirt that said "Top Rail Country Music" as well as an earring and a watch.

"The body was determined to have been there for about a year or more due to the condition of the bones. Multiple leads received through the past 38 years have all failed to identify the young female," Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said.

(DNA Doe Project)

Investigators say the body looked like it was hidden on purpose.

"She was never reported missing. Her family lived out of state. She wound up back here in Texas, and she just was around everywhere. Her family never knew that she even married or had a child," Det. David Turner said.

Turner is the original investigator.

"This is the next day after we found the remains," he said, showing a picture.

The case went cold until 2021, when they partnered with the DNA Doe Project.

It's a national nonprofit that works with law enforcement to identify John and Jane Does using genetic genealogy. They create a DNA profile to upload to ancestry databases and then try to build family trees.

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"Through this process, our team was able to build the family trees of matching DNA relatives. Common ancestors were found amongst them, suggesting that these ancestors were also in the tree of our unidentified person," Rhonda Kevorkian with DNA Doe Project said.

With this information, detectives were able to track down possible family members and get DNA from them to confirm.

"The victim's DNA was a positive match to the mother in Fort Worth, as well as the daughter in Alabama," Smith said.

DNA Doe Project looks to identify the yet-unidentified

There are more than 50,000 unidentified sets of human remains in the U.S. In this "Missing in Texas," FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen takes a look at the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit dedicated to identifying the numerous John and Jane Does across the country.

How Crow died is still a mystery.

"Anytime anybody has lost a life, we will not rest until we identify the body. If at all possible, try to determine what caused the death, which will be the next part. If it's been so old, so long ago, it's going to be very difficult," Smith said.

Giving her a name is still a step closer to figuring out what happened.

"I've always said before I pass through the gates, I'm going to identify her, so feels good," Turner said. "Thank goodness for the DNA Doe Project. I keep on saying, I can't thank them enough."