Credit: SD County Sheriff's Department.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Unit used DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) to identify the remains of a woman found in Warner Springs on Feb. 16, 1986.
Her name is Claudette Jean Zebolsky Powers.
Powers' body was discovered near campsites on Los Coyotes Indian Reservation in Warner Springs. A second murder victim was found around the same time and area. The man’s body has not been identified. There is a possibility these two cases are connected.
Over the years, detectives kept working the case. They reviewed missing person reports and sought the public’s assistance to help identify the victims, but the remains were not identified.
In February 2022, the Sheriff's Cold Case Team comprised of detectives, analysts and the Sheriff’s Regional Crime Lab turned to investigative genetic genealogy to find leads in the case. The Sheriff's Homicide Unit only utilizes investigative genetic genealogy when all other methods have been exhausted.
In this case, DNA profile obtained from a sample of Powers' hair was compared to available profiles on commercial websites. Extensive research was also done on census records, obituaries and other publicly accessible information to meticulously build family trees. Once family relationships emerged, detectives were able to track down an individual believed to be a relative of Powers.
When speaking with relatives, detectives identify themselves, tell the person what they are investigating, explain the process and ask for their assistance. This process eventually led investigators to Powers' daughters, sister and mother. A DNA sample confirmed the match and the remains were positively identified as Claudette Jean Zebolsky Powers.
While this development cannot bring Powers back to her loved ones, her youngest sister Laura Freese hopes someone will recognize Claudette's photos and recall anything that could shed light on the circumstances surrounding her death.
"It's been really hard on our family. Somebody knows what happened. A neighbor, anybody that knew her knows what happened. If you are still alive and you knew my sister and you knew what happened to her, please come forward. Please, we need closure," said Freese.
Based on the investigation, Powers was born on January 13, 1962 in Coldwater, Michigan. She lived with her husband in Washington State in the early 1980s until she left him and moved to San Diego County around 1983. She likely lived in the San Diego or Escondido area until her murder on or near February 1986. A possible last known address in Escondido could have been around Fig Street. Powers may have worked at a restaurant in the area.
Call the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330. You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. You could be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information that leads to a felony arrest.
This is the seventh time the Sheriff's Homicide Unit has used investigative genetic genealogy to solve or identify remains in a cold case.
Republished courtesy of SD County Sheriff's Department.