This individual was recently confirmed to have been identified. Some details may change as more information is released publicly.
Sylvia Nicole Smith was a teenage girl who disappeared from Midland, Texas on February 14, 2000. Her partial skeletal remains were located south of Midland on August 1, 2013 and were identified on June 9, 2022.
Case
Sylvia Smith was last seen by her mother on February 14, 2000. Four days later, her mother filed a runaway report with the Midland Police Department.
On August 1, 2013, the partial skeletal remains of a teenage girl or young woman were found south of Midland near South County Road 1160 and FM 1213. She was found by workers surveying near an oilfield wellsite. An extensive search was conducted by the Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety aircraft, and the Midland County Sheriff's Office. The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification. After an anthropology report was completed and DNA was extracted, it was determined the victim was between the ages of 14 and 21 and was likely the victim of a homicide. Her DNA was sent to the CODIS Index system, but no results came back.
In 2020, the Rangers and the Island County District Attorney's Office looked for further means to identify the victim. They sent her DNA to DNA Labs International and, ultimately, to Parabon NanoLabs for advanced DNA analysis to determine what the victim looked like. Parabon NanoLabs revealed the victim was of African American descent and identified eye color, hair color, and skin tone. Additionally, a genetic genealogist who examined the DNA assisted with a match to a distant relative.
After the Rangers interviewed potential relatives in May 2022, information led to Sylvia's mother, who still lived in Midland. Sylvia's mother confirmed that her daughter was still missing, and the Rangers collected DNA from the Smith family for analysis. The University of North Texas identified the victim as Sylvia Nicole Smith.
Sylvia Smith's homicide remains unsolved but is under investigation by the Texas Rangers. Texas Crime Stoppers is offering up to $3,000 for information on the case.
Sources
- KHOU 11
- Texas Department of Public Safety