For the female discovered in Arizona in 2008, see Maria Mendez
Maria Fay Lujan-Rodriguez (also known by the surname Mendez) was a woman whose partial skull was found in rural Crane County, Texas.
She was identified in March 2023.
Case[]
The decedent's cranium was located along a road leading to an oil field, which was accessible from two major highways. The lower jaw was absent from the scene, but examination was conducted on the remains. It was determined she was suffering from some dental problems with her back teeth and that she was likely of Hispanic descent. The skull was thought to belong to someone in their mid-teens to early twenties, when Lujan was 39 at the time of her disappearance over five years prior. DNA was later extracted and digital facial approximations were released. The match between the remains and Lujan was made in March 2023, 33 years after her discovery and 38 years after she went missing.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- CBS7
- Maria Lujan at the Texas Department of Public Safety
- TXDPS (Cold Cases)
- MRT