Vereta "Joni" Gates was a young woman discovered inside an abandoned van at a parking lot in Washington in 1977. She was exhumed for DNA testing in 2004.
She was identified by Othram in July 2024.
Case[]
Joni was last seen at a hospital near Chicago, Illinois, in July 1977, just weeks before her murder. Her family described her as a "wanderer" who was known to regularly hitchhike between her home in Vermont to destinations as far as the Pacific coast of the US.
Joni's mutilated body was found in an abandoned van in a hardware store parking lot. Her remains were so decomposed that the media initially reported her as a male. Investigators suggested that Joni was possibly a sex worker.
The investigation faced many setbacks. Many records, including Joni's dental records, were lost; a janitor threw out her clothing; and when her body was exhumed for testing in 2004, her skull was missing. However, they were able to extract DNA from her femur.
Characteristics[]
- Brown hair.
- Brown eyes.
- Surgical scar on abdomen.
- Small star tattoo on the top of right thigh.
Clothing and accessories[]
- Yellow handmade dress.
- White panties with stenciled "SCOTT-LILLIE-2H".
- Blue corduroy Farrah brand jeans.
- Green sweater.
- Blue shirt.