The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) has identified one of the two remaining unidentified victims in a cold case investigation from 1981.
In March and April 1981, four sets of human remains were recovered from property located in Hernando County. Two of the victims were immediately identified. The other two remained unidentified until now, as one of the victims has recently been positively identified.
HCSO investigators recently sought the services of the University of North Texas and Parabon NanoLabs to help identify the victims.
DNA evidence from the unidentified victims’ were submitted to Parabon to generate actionable leads. The human remains that were collected in 1981 were sent to several labs in an attempt to develop a DNA profile; however, this was unsuccessful.
In 2020, a sample of the remains was sent to the University of North Texas where a complete DNA profile was developed and subsequently entered into the national database. A search of that database was unsuccessful. However, the complete DNA profile was reviewed, and it was determined that a sufficient DNA sample of the unidentified victim existed for further testing.
Using DNA evidence from this investigation, Parabon’s Snapshot produced trait predictions for the associated victim. Individual predictions were made for the victim’s ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling, and face shape. Parabon’s research developed a profile that was utilized in the identification of the victim in this case.
HCSO investigators were able to follow up on the lead and have been able to determine that Theresa Caroline Fillingim was one of the unidentified victims in this cold case investigation.
Fillingim was reported missing to the Tampa Police Department by her sister Margaret Johns on May 16, 1980. Fillingim’s remains were recovered from the Mansfield property on April 3, 1981.
Republished courtesy of Hernando County Sheriff's Office.