SAN FRANCISCO, CA — San Francisco police say they have closed the 1973 disappearance of Cheryl Lanier after DNA analysis linked her to the body of a woman found in Texas. Lanier was 27 when she was last seen.
The department said the case remained open for years while investigators searched for answers. A missing persons report for Lanier was not filed until 2010.
Texas tip led investigators to Houston
Police said the break came in July when Harris County, Texas authorities sent a tip that a deceased Jane Doe might be Lanier. San Francisco investigators then worked with Houston police and the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services.
The agencies used DNA testing to confirm the identity of the body. Police did not immediately release additional details about where or when the remains were found.
Case officially closed by San Francisco police
SFPD said its Missing Persons Unit worked on the investigation over time but could not solve it until the DNA match. The department said the case is now officially closed…