(KTNV) — The identity of a woman found dead in northern Nevada more than three decades ago is now uncovered.
Judy Manzaneras, of Salt Lake City, had been missing since 1989, the Nevada Department of Public Safety stated in a news release on Monday. She was just 19 years old when she was last seen.
On Feb. 25, 1990, two hikers found skeletal human remains approximately 13 miles east of Battle Mountain, in an area referred to as Hilltop Canyon, a DPS public information officer stated.
At the time, investigators determined the remains were those of a female, but they could not be positively identified.
"Over the years, multiple methods were used to identify the person, but were unsuccessful," according to Nevada DPS.
In June 2022, Nevada State Police and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System enlisted the help of Othram, Inc. to perform advanced forensic DNA testing of the remains.
The skeletal remains were sent to Othram, where forensic genetic genealogy was used to produce new investigative leads returned to detectives with the Nevada State Police, the DPS public information officer explained. Scientists at Othram extracted DNA from the remains to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the then-unidentified woman.
That information combined with detectives' pursuit of new leads helped investigators finally identify Manzaneras, officials said.
Scientists at Othram, Inc. have recently helped identify victims and suspects in a slew of cold cases in Nevada — most recently including the murders of two women in the early '90s and the 2004 murder of Keysha Brown.
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Manzaneras' cause of death was ruled a homicide, officials noted. They asked anyone with information about the case to contact the Nevada State Police Investigation Division at 775-684-7412.
