A woman who was found dead in Florida over 30 years ago has finally been identified, thanks to DNA technology.
Roberta Lynn Weber — who went by Bobbie — was around 32 years old when she was murdered. Her remains were discovered in a wooded area of Daytona Beach on April 23, 1990.
Authorities are still investigating the homicide and have not announced any suspects. The identification of the remains stumped investigators for three decades.
“Her remains were not identifiable, and no clothing or personal property could be found,” Volusia Sheriff’s Office explained in a Facebook post. “Her DNA was collected and entered into a national database, but there were no matches.”
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In an effort to crack the cold case, Volusia County investigators recently consulted a forensic genealogy lab and coordinated with the county’s medical examiner’s office to submit DNA samples.
The labratory, which is called Othram Labs, eventually constructed a family tree of the victim, which included Weber’s sister. Florida officials traveled to Missouri to interview the sister, who confirmed that she hadn’t seen Roberta since 1989.
“She indicated Roberta had divorced her husband in 1989 and disappeared,” the sheriff’s office explained. “She believed she was either deceased or living in California.”
Roberta’s three children were contacted by authorities also told them that they hadn’t seen their mother since 1989.
Authorities are still working to solve the homicide investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the office’s Major Case Unit at 386-254-1537.
