FL FL - Brenda Sue ''Suzie'' Lefler, 31, Greenacres, 2 May 1974

[Doeologist]

Actually if it was a fake note left behind by the abductor, then why would it read that she ran away with the boyfriend, if it was the boyfriend?

It definitely looks like a domestic crime, if I may say, but with no body or crime scene they can't go forward. They had a match on the DNA and dentals for the Lady of the Dunes but then they backed off on that and it became inconclusive. A positive DNA test, then an inconclusive. A match on the dentals including seven crowns but one less tooth on the charts, so let's throw it out.

Her husband owned a body shop so he was a business man. The father-in-law used to be Coast Guard.

 

[Doeologist]

Here's the 2005 article again from People's magazine.

 

[Doeologist]

Here's a transcript of the article for those who can't see it. Bold is mine, and is referring to Brenda Sue Lelfler:

Seaside Mystery

In the case of the victim known only as the "Lady in the Dunes," found 31 years ago on a beach in Provincetown, Mass., with her hands cut off, police have had several promising leads — but no clear solutions. Five years ago a serial killer who had worked in a restaurant near Provincetown about the time the woman was found suddenly confessed. "Bu a couple of things he said didn't jibe" with the known facts, says S.Sgt. Warren Tobias of the Provincetown police. Then in 2001 a woman who had read about the case contacted cops to say that the woman might be her mother who had been kidnapped in Florida shortly before the body turned up. An initial DNA test showed a match. But a subsequent more rigorous test left room for doubt And there was one other puzzling fact. The dental records of the woman exactly matched those of the missing Florida woman — except that the Lady in the Dunes has one tooth the Florida woman did not. While further analysis may clear up the discrepancies, Tobias is wary. "I have this Rubik's Cube that I've still not been able to put all the sides together for," he says. "It might never be figured out."

Nov 14, 2005 PEOPLE

 

[Doeologist]

"An initial DNA test showed a match. But a subsequent more rigorous test left room for doubt."

It looks to me like they did a standard DNA test, looking at maybe 16 markers, and got a 100% match. But then they did a complex DNA test, looking at 60 plus, which came in as maybe 90-95% probability of being mother and daughter. So there was "room for doubt".

Here's a complex DNA test done on two brothers which leaves 1% room for doubt:

What Is Complex DNA Testing & Why Do Markers Matter? (dnalegal.com)

 

[Doeologist]

Scars and Marks: Arthritis caused right index finer to be curved
Clothes: Last seen wearing white blouse, blue jean shorts; Sandals; Several silver rings;

These details explain why the hands would have been cut off.

LOTD was obviously not a runaway that was picked up, not a victim of a serial killer, but a victim of someone close to her who would immediately become a suspect once she was identified. The ex-husband of BSL died last year....

 

[Doeologist]

Does anyone else thinks the alleged staging of the Lady of the Dunes dump site matches the alleged staging of the BSL kidnapping? Think about it if you will! “Willingly” left with a boyfriend and then found dead on a blanket on the dunes. Obviously there’s always a good chance of identification even back then no matter how you dismember.

 

[Doeologist]

"An initial DNA test showed a match. But a subsequent more rigorous test left room for doubt."

It looks to me like they did a standard DNA test, looking at maybe 16 markers, and got a 100% match. But then they did a complex DNA test, looking at 60 plus, which came in as maybe 90-95% probability of being mother and daughter. So there was "room for doubt".

Here's a complex DNA test done on two brothers which leaves 1% room for doubt:

What Is Complex DNA Testing & Why Do Markers Matter? (dnalegal.com)

The problem here might be that it’s not a straight Jane Doe case but a criminal one. A Jane Doe ID only requires a percentage of shared DNA with a known person. A crime required a 100% CSI match to a suspect. You can’t get that with a Jane or John Doe unless you only look at the X or Y chromosome. Police would be looking for a 100% match with a suspect who could then be linked to a victim. Not everyone will move forward on a cold case with a good familial DNA match on a Doe, like with Beth Doe.

 

[Doeologist]

The BSL daughter’s DNA test would be like a paternity test with no mother. In this case, the father’s DNA markers are not ruled out in advance. This lowers the statistical probability from 99.9% to somewhere near 50%, according to this link which says the result could be just a “close relation”. That’s only an issue with legal paternity.

Understanding your DNA testing report // Cellmark

 

[PayrollNerd]

DNA in this situation seems like it would be so clear. I had my Mom's DNA done recently so I can compare it to mine and my kiddo. My birth father is deceased but his brother tested and I match him appropriately in cMs. (cM = centimorgans) We are using GEDmatch too and it's pretty clear we're related.

In my mind, and I'm no pro that is for sure, it seems if I can determine my parentage, they could with this lady and the UID? So confusing and this poor lady must be so frustrated. What more do they need to make it official I wonder?

 

[Doeologist]

A paternity test can never be 100%. You'd have to first test every man on earth. So the same should go for a familial DNA test with a potential daughter and mother. 99% is all you get and that's with today's technology.

A paternity specialist said in 2019 that DNA testing has improved significantly in the last "17 years". An 80% or more probability was considered conclusive in jurisdictions up until 2002 but less than 99% would be inconclusive today. BSL's daughter's test was done before 2005. There's a good chance her result came in the conclusive range for that time. 80% would be good in places then.

What Do My Paternity Test Results Mean? | DNA Paternity Testing Results | DNATesting.com

P.S. Let me correct what I said above. Most of the paternity tests are done without the mother. The results would still be over 99% today. So you don't really need a Jane Doe's possible husband to give a sample. With a lower result, you can technically only say they are closely related but you can't determine the exact relationship. It could still be parent but it could be another close relationship like parent and sibling or aunts and uncles rather than close cousins which would have a much lower probability.

 

[Undone]

I'd like to straighten a few things out, and add a few that have faded over the last 47 years.

The ex husband was not a body shop owner, but rather, a paint and body man. To say he was a businessman is far from the truth.

The cause for the divorce was similar to many who marry young, as they grew older, they became different people. I won't throw either of them under the bus, but neither of them were angels.

Over the years, there's been insinuations on the internet that the father in law was somehow involved, but no one seemed to notice that William Lefler died in 1970.

The one important thing that has been totally lost over time is that the younger daughter (not quite 4 at the time) said she saw a man in the house in the late hours the day Suzie disappeared. This was dismissed rather quickly by LE because of her age - and possibly because LE were focusing primarily on Samuel at the time. The chances of any trail that might have existed being discovered went cold fairly early on.

In closing, I'd like to say that, while I would not bet my life on it, it's my opinion that the Lady of the Dunes is more than likely Suzie Lefler. The chances of this being proven without a shadow of doubt are probably between slim and none after the amount of time that has passed.

 

[Doeologist]

... In closing, I'd like to say that, while I would not bet my life on it, it's my opinion that the Lady of the Dunes is more than likely Suzie Lefler. The chances of this being proven without a shadow of doubt are probably between slim and none after the amount of time that has passed.

Thank you for the post clarifying things and I'm sorry about the inaccuracies. (Maybe you could post and make corrections on the LOTD's thread.)

It's also my opinion that the Lady of the Dunes is (more than likely) Brenda Sue Lefler, unless the People magazine article was inaccurate.

I know it's one thing to suggest a positive ID on a Jane Doe and that it's another thing to suggest a possible murderer. Brenda Sue Lefler would have attracted a lot of attention, good and bad, so there would be numerous suspects, outside the obvious.

 

[Murkywaters]

A photo of Brenda has been added to her NamUs profile.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[alb1on]

Just to close off one area of discussion; the Lady of the Dunes was identified as Ruth Marie Terry in 2022, so Brenda Sue Lefler remains missing.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Brenda Sue Lefler – The Charley Project

 

[PayrollNerd]

Brenda Sue Lefler – The Charley Project

I wonder if there is anything new in the case file that's been added.

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 3, 2023; casefile added.

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping, today is Brenda Sue’s birthday.

 

[theshadow45]

Brenda Sue has been missing for 50 years today.