Decades-Long Mystery Solved: Woman Found in Florida in 1985 Identified as Maryland Resident
In a breakthrough discovery, the skeletal remains of a woman found in a shallow grave on Crescent Beach in St. Johns County, Florida, in April 1985 have been identified as a Maryland resident who had been missing for over a decade.
The remains, which were several years old when uncovered, belonged to a White woman estimated to be between 30 and 50 years old at the time of her death. Despite the initial investigation, the case remained unsolved for years until recent advancements in forensic genealogy and DNA testing.
Thanks to the efforts of organizations like Othram, new leads emerged following the release of a forensic composite and DNA testing results. These efforts eventually led to the woman's identification, bringing closure to a long-standing cold case.
During 2022, detectives from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office participated in a workshop on forensic genetic genealogy, a technique that combines DNA analysis and genealogical records to identify individuals based on their genetic profile. The sheriff's office provided evidence from unidentified remains to Othram, a private laboratory, which then created a DNA profile and searched genealogical databases for potential matches.
With the information obtained, the sheriff's department initiated a follow-up investigation that led to potential relatives of the victim being identified.
Subsequently, the victim was identified as Mary Alice Pultz from Maryland. According to Othram, Pultz's family had lost contact with her around 1968. There were rumors circulating that Pultz had been murdered by her boyfriend in either Florida or Georgia, prompting an ongoing investigation into her death.
Pultz is survived by a sibling, her younger sister who is now 72 years old. The sister expressed to investigators that she had resigned herself to never knowing the truth about what happened to her sister.
