Identified! TX, Midland, BlkFem, 14-21, UP83520, Skeletal - Sylvia Nicole Smith

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  • #1
Recent NAMUS add - link:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
(UP83520)

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Demographics
Sex - Female
Race / Ethnicity - Black / African American
Estimated Age Group - Late Teen/Young Adult
Estimated Age Range (Years) - 14-21
Height - 4' 11"-5' 7"(59-67 inches) , Estimated

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Circumstances
Type - Unidentified Deceased
Date Body Found - August 1, 2013
NamUs Case Created - August 23, 2021
Location Found Map
(This location is actually incorrect, it's more like here 31.939449,-101.9941279)

Location - Midland, Texas
County - Midland County
Found On Tribal Land - No
Circumstances of Recovery - SKELETAL REMAINS LOCATED AT OIL LEASE LOCATION S OF FM 1213 & SCR 1160 MIDLAND COUNTY MIDLAND TX/CONTACT TX RANGER JEFFERY STRAIN AT 432-230- 3152

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Details of Recovery
Condition of Remains - Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only

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  • #2
Unsolved Crimes - Midland Crime Stoppers
According to Midland Crime Stoppers, they do have a DNA profile for this young woman and appear to have put it in CODIS.
The Midland County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers are asking for your assistance with an investigation into the discovery of unidentified human remains. On August 1, 2013, the unidentified human remains were discovered near an oilfield location in Midland County approximately 10 miles south of Interstate 20 near FM 1213. The remains were determined to be a Black female (as of 07/26/21), 14-21 years old at the time of death, and 59 to 67 inches tall. A DNA profile was developed and has been compared to several local missing persons as well as entered into the national database. Homicide is suspected.
 
  • #3
Maybe it was Kimberly Burns, of Marshall, TX?
Her mother suspected her to be endangered. The height and age would fit.
 
  • #4

On 02/18/2000, Sylvia Nicole Smith, a 16-year-old black female, was reported to be a runaway by her mother. The last time she was seen was on 02/14/2000. 13 years later, Sylvia's remains were found on S. County Rd. 1160 and FM 1213 south of Midland, near an oilfield. Her remains were not identified until June 2022. This came after an extensive investigation by the Texas Rangers and other agencies using forensic genealogy.
An autopsy confirmed that Sylvia was murdered. The Texas Rangers, Midland County Dist. Atty. and the Midland Sheriff's office are investigating this homicide. Anyone with information is asked to come forward and submit information through this website or Texas Crime Stoppers.
 
  • #5
Rest in peace, Sylvia. :(
 
  • #6
Sleep peacefully, Sylvia ❤️
 
  • #7
On Aug. 1, 2013, Smith’s then-unidentified remains were found near South County Road 1160 and FM 1213, south of Midland. Workers surveying near an oilfield wellsite discovered her partial remains. The Texas Rangers, DPS Aircraft and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office conducted an extensive search of the area to ensure all evidence was gathered. The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, where an anthropology report was completed, and DNA was extracted. The results revealed the victim was a female between the ages of 14-21 who was likely the victim of a homicide.

The DNA results were put into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). No results came back over the next several years, and in 2020, working with the Midland County District Attorney’s Office, the Rangers looked for additional means to identify the remains. They were sent to DNA Labs International and, ultimately, to Parabon Nanolabs for advanced DNA analysis to determine what the victim looked like.

The results revealed the victim was of African-American descent, and identified eye color, hair color and skin tone. A genetic genealogist who examined the DNA assisted with a match which led to a distant relative. Rangers have interviewed numerous potential relatives to gather family information and in May 2022, information led to the victim’s mother in the Midland area. In speaking with the mother, she stated one of her daughters — Sylvia Nicole Smith — had been missing since 2000.

Her mother last saw her 16-year-old daughter on Feb. 14, 2000. Smith’s mother filed a runaway report with the Midland Police Department on Feb. 18, 2000.

Texas Rangers collected DNA samples from Smith’s family for analysis and on June 9, 2022, the University of North Texas verified that the remains of the person found on Aug. 1, 2013, was indeed Sylvia Nicole Smith.

The Rangers are now conducting a homicide investigation into her death, and ask anyone with information into her disappearance or homicide to come forward with information.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous. Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website or by phone to the Missing Person Hotline at 1-800-346-3243.
 
  • #8
The Texas Rangers, DPS Aircraft and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office conducted an extensive search of the area to ensure all evidence was gathered. The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, where an anthropology report was completed, and DNA was extracted.

The results revealed the victim was a female between the ages of 14-21 who was likely the victim of a homicide.

The DNA results were put into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). No results came back over the next several years, and in 2020, working with the Midland County District Attorney’s Office, the Rangers looked for additional means to identify the remains.
 
  • #9
Details - Unsolved Homicide

Texas Rangers Cold Case Investigation Details​


Sylvia Smith


REFERENCE NUMBER: 233 - Unsolved
COMPANY: E
RACE: Black
SEX: Female
CITY:
COUNTY:
Midland
RELATED YEAR: 2000

DETAILS:


On 02/18/2000, Sylvia Nicole Smith, a 16-year-old black female, was reported to be a runaway by her mother. The last time she was seen was on 02/14/2000. 13 years later, Sylvia's remains were found on S. County Rd. 1160 and FM 1213 south of Midland, near an oilfield. Her remains were not identified until June 2022. This came after an extensive investigation by the Texas Rangers and other agencies using forensic genealogy.
An autopsy confirmed that Sylvia was murdered. The Texas Rangers, Midland County Dist. Atty. and the Midland Sheriff's office are investigating this homicide. Anyone with information is asked to come forward and submit information through this website or Texas Crime Stoppers.

Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $3,000 to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of the person/persons responsible forthis crime. To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters MUST call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous. Tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.

Information on this case may also be submitted in the following manner:
  • Submit a Tip Online thru the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website
  • Contact us by telephone at 1-800-346-3243. Your information will be forwarded to the Texas Rangerassigned to this case.
 
  • #10

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