Human remains discovered in the woods of La Vergne, Tenn., in 2007 have been identified as those of Mary Alice Maloney.
Through genetic research, the DNA Doe Project has confirmed that the remains belong to Maloney, who was 40 at the time of her death. Her body was discovered on Nov. 14, 2007. Originally from Connecticut, Maloney had been living in the Greater Nashville area when she disappeared, and investigators believe she died in the spring or summer of 2007.
“Our work is often complicated by the lack of people who have uploaded their DNA profiles to the public databases we can use for our cases,” DNA Doe team leader Jenny Lecus said in a statement on the DNA Doe Project’s website. “That’s why one of the recommendations we make to families of the missing is to make sure your DNA profile is in GEDmatch.com, FamilyTreeDNA.com and DNA Justice.org.”
Genetic genealogists with the organization first identified distant relatives of Maloney, then made a breakthrough in 2021 when a closer DNA match — a distant cousin — appeared. From there, they began building out her family tree. Maloney, who was of mixed Puerto Rican and African descent, was estimated to be between 25 and 49 years old when La Vergne police discovered her remains…