Credit: Odessa Police Department.
The Odessa Police Department (Texas) and the Texas Rangers have made a breakthrough in the 1984 missing persons case involving Maria Mendez.
In August 1984, Maria Faye Mendez, 39 and a mother of three, was reported missing from her apartment located in the 2400 block of West 10th St. Within days of her disappearance, her family reported her missing after she did not come home and failed to contact them. The original investigative team conducted interviews and canvases, but the case quickly went cold.
In 2022, the Odessa Police Department obtained samples of DNA from living relatives of Mendez. In January 2023, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification notified the Odessa Police Department of a DNA match.
The DNA match came from skeletal remains recovered in Crane County in January 1990. These remains were recovered by Crane County Deputies. In 2013, with the help of the Crane County Sheriff's Office, the Odessa Police Department submitted these remains for DNA testing and anthropological research. Due to advancements in technology and forensic testing over the past decades, investigators have confirmed the remains belong to Mendez.
"This case has spanned decades and many agencies have been involved over the years. If it were not for the help of Ms. Mendez's family, the Texas Rangers, and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, there would still be no answers. The Department is forever grateful for those involved," the Odessa Police Department said in a statement.
Mendez's case has been upgraded to an active homicide investigation. Investigators are currently working leads and in close touch with the Mendez family. Anyone with any information regarding this case is encouraged to reach out to the Odessa Police Department (432) 335-3333 or to Odessa Crime Stoppers at (432) 333-TIPS.
Republished courtesy of Odessa Police Department.