Summary
In April 1990, the remains of an unidentified woman were found in a wooded area east of Clyde Morris Boulevard in Ormond Beach, Florida which is located north of Daytona Beach in Volusia County. An individual discovered the remains while walking along a trail that leads from Clyde Morris Boulevard to Avenue D in the Daytona Pines subdivision. Law enforcement later found additional skeletonized portions of the woman’s body scattered throughout the wooded area, but no clothing or personal property was ever recovered. The woman's death was ruled a homicide. She could not be identified and became known as Volusia County Jane Doe.
In 2000, a forensic facial reconstruction was created to depict how the woman have looked during her life. Later, in 2015 an updated, digital forensic sketch was created to represent the woman’s likely appearance more accurately. Despite the investigative work of detectives, the woman’s identity remained unknown. Details of the unidentified person case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP923.
In June 2023, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office in collaboration with the District 7 Medical Examiner’s Office teamed with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help to identify the woman. Skeletal remains were sent to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the skeletal evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive DNA profile. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used the profile in a genealogical search to generate new investigative leads, including information about a Missouri woman, who was likely a close relative of the unidentified woman.
Volusia County Sheriff’s Detectives conducted a follow-up investigation and spoke to the Missouri woman who confirmed that she had not seen her sister since 1989. Detectives also identified the likely children of the unidentified woman who confirmed that they had not seen their mother since 1989. Reference DNA samples were provided by the potential sister and daughter of the unidentified woman. DNA comparisons revealed a match and Volusia County Jane Doe was positively identified as Roberta “Bobbie” Lynn Headley Weber. Roberta graduated from high school in the late 1970s and was married in 1979. In 1989, she divorced her husband and was no longer seen again by her family. Her family believed that she was either living in California or that she was deceased. Roberta, who was born December 3, 1957, would have been 32 years old at the time her remains were discovered.
The investigation into Ms. Weber’s death has been reopened by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information about the crime should contact the Major Case Unit at 386-254-1537 or email coldcaseunittips@volusiasheriff.gov.
Michael Vogen
Director of Case Management
Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.