Grundy County, IL – The identity of a 1976 homicide victim discovered near Seneca has been confirmed nearly 50 years later through DNA evidence.
JoAnn “Vickie” Smith, an Ohio woman, was found in a ditch alongside U.S. Route 6 in October 1976. According to the Grundy County Coroner’s Office, Smith had been shot in the head and was buried in an unmarked grave in Braceville-Gardner Cemetery after investigators ran out of leads. Her remains were exhumed in 2018, and DNA testing led to her identification by the DNA Doe Project, which used genetic genealogy to trace her family.
The Grundy County Coroner’s Office reopened the cold case in 2017, hoping to utilize modern DNA technology. After her exhumation, Smith’s DNA was sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification but yielded no results in CODIS, the national DNA database. The DNA Doe Project then deployed a team of expert volunteer investigative genetic genealogists who spent four and a half years identifying Smith through her biological relatives.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children supported the case by providing resources, including a facial reconstruction, and keeping Smith’s story in the public eye. The successful identification marks a significant breakthrough in the case and provides a crucial lead in solving Smith’s murder.
