Peggy Anne Dodd. Credit: FBSO
Peggy Anne Dodd has been missing since December 1984. Her family had long worried about her whereabouts, which caused them many sleepless nights, wondering if they would ever get closure concerning their loved one’s fate. That is until Fort Bend County Sheriff's veteran Homicide Detective Scott Minyard and a team of genealogists identified her nearly 38 years later.
On Dec. 22, 1984, remains were found on a property belonging to the Manford Williams Ranch in Fort Bend County. Sheriff's investigators were left trying to fit the pieces of an intricate puzzle together with only minimal information including approximate height, age, weight, and clothing located with the remains. An autopsy was conducted and revealed the remains to be that of a young Caucasian woman with light brown hair and no known cause of death. The case soon went cold.
Recently, using advanced DNA sequencing technology to extract DNA from rootless hair found on the victim, scientists built a genetic genealogy profile that ultimately helped identify the young woman as Peggy Anne Dodd, who was 29 years old at the time. Minyard, along with volunteer genealogists with Intermountain Forensics and Astrea Forensics, were able to identify the remains. The manner of Dodd’s death remains undetermined.
"Intermountain Forensics is honored to help give back Peggy Anne Dodd her name and hopefully provide a small measure of closure and comfort to her family and friends. It truly would not have been possible to give identity to the remains without the diligence and dedication of our partners at the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office," said Daniel Hellwig, Laboratory Director at Intermountain Forensics. "Our counterparts at Astrea Forensics played a pivotal role in this extremely difficult case by combining cutting-edge science with intense investigative persistence to identify the remains."
Detective Minyard credits the excellent working relationship between the Sheriff’s Office and the forensics team for learning the identity of the victim in the nearly four decades old case.
“The successful outcome of this case was made possible through the close collaboration between the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, Intermountain Forensics, Astrea Forensics, and a volunteer team of forensic genealogists,” said Detective Minyard. “Without this teamwork, Ms. Dodd’s identity would have remained a mystery.”
Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan commended his investigative team and the scientific community for revolutionizing the way cold cases are being solved.
"I am grateful for the shrewd detective work of our investigators and the game-changing forensics work of our scientific partners,” said Sheriff Fagan. “Their efforts bring some semblance of closure to Ms. Dodd's family."
Republished courtesy of Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.