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Beaufort investigators identify 1995 Jane Doe as Maria Tallis Gonzalez; DNA genealogy prompts renewed probe
Summary
BC TV reported that a 1995 unidentified woman found along Cottonhall Road has been identified via genetic genealogy as Maria Tallis Gonzalez; investigators say Parabon NanoLabs produced a match in October 2022 and have interviewed family while seeking two people of interest to advance a homicide investigation.
Beaufort County investigators said a woman whose body was found on Cottonhall Road on May 24, 1995, has been identified as Maria Tallis Gonzalez following a genetic genealogy match. Investigators described the case as long cold, noting an autopsy determined the cause of death to be strangulation.
According to the segment, investigators submitted the unidentified woman's DNA to Parabon NanoLabs; in October 2022 the firm produced a match the program described as "better than 99%". They reported Gonzalez was 36 at the time, had disappeared from a Kissimmee, Florida residence in May 1995 and, according to interviews, had not been reported missing locally.
Investigators said they traveled to interview family members and are asking the public for help identifying two people of interest: a friend referred to as Patty or Patricia, and a man with whom Gonzalez had an affair. "Who murdered Maria? And we look to bring that person to justice," an investigator said. Officials asked anyone with information to contact law-enforcement investigators handling the cold case.
