So sad!
How come though the article says a man discovered the remains just a few weeks after Nancy's dissaperence, but it took until 2012 for the DNA testing to complete? You mean that her family and loved ones had to wait 28 YEARS for closure? Or, I wonder if LE knew about it years ago, and is just being reported to the press now?
The link to the story:
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP92a7b23cb5dc459caeb0e7e85f70f888.html
Satch
I have not read the wsj article. However, I can tell you with certainty, that politics, media, and timing is an enormous factor. My sister has been missing for nearly 32 years. (missing since 11-30-1980) and her case was not fully accepted and properly entered into any state's missing persons files until 1985. The report was taken in 1983, at the Oswego County Sheriff's department (she was last seen in Baltimore, MD, was residing in New York City at the time of disappearance, but her legal residence and the residence of my parents was still Oswego, NY)
There is a case - Midtown Doe - that was high profile for a while - isn't anymore - because the investigator on the case retired. There are many strong ties to that case with my sister. The DNA of the two has been "in process" of comparison since last AUGUST. A year has gone by -- a YEAR has passed since the two were connected. Can you imagine the public outcry if my sister was a cute little 3 year old girl ? Or if she was a celebrity or politician's daughter? There are THOUSANDS of unidentified, unclaimed bodies and parts - and once all the data are collected it will likely be hundreds of thousands. Simply unclaimed. Forgotten - at least until now.
NaMUs gives families like mine hope that one day we can get Judy back and give her a proper burial and let her rest in peace, at home, in a marked grave. It has been years of searching morgues, contacting local authorities, putting Judy's name in front of newspapers and the media, investigators and gruesome mass murder sites. I hope that one of them will produce the results we long to hear: We have found your sister (or her remains).
Missing persons, without the cooperation of all authorities, is a joke. If one precinct decides to withhold information, for whatever reason, it does not make its way into the hands of people who need it. It's preposterous that NaMUs isn't required in all 50 states.
I'm sorry. I'm a little passionate about this. Why did a sheriff enter the information on my sister, only to find out that it was never actually entered? How much time did that cost us? If this girl's body was right under peoples' noses all along -- why didn't they check her against this missing girl right away? I don't know.
I know that as soon as I heard about the corpse, I called -- and was told there was no way it could be Judy because of some genetic disorder (can't remember the specifics but Judy was ruled out right away).
It's sickening and maddening that that poor girl's family had to suffer not knowing this long, but thank God they can finally lay her to rest.