Summary
In November 2020, the body of an unidentified woman was found in an abandoned house located in Nashville, Tennessee. On Thanksgiving evening, at approximately 8:00pm, a 911 call was placed to report the incident. The Nashville Fire Department District 17 and Metropolitan Nashville Police Department responded to the scene. The body was determined to be that of a White female who was approximately 20 to 45 years old. The woman was 5’4” tall and weighed 225 pounds; she had wavy hair that was reddish-brown in color and approximately twelve inches long. On her left wrist was a semicolon tattoo consisting of a red heart situated above a black comma. At the time of her death, the woman was wearing a white metal stud earring in each ear. 
Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP76679. In 2023, a forensic artist with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation developed a forensic sketch depicting the appearance of the woman. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the woman, no matches were found, and the case went cold due to a lack of investigative leads.
In 2023, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the woman. A DNASolves crowdfund was established to cover the casework costs. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown woman. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genetic genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.
A follow-up investigation was launched using these new leads. During the course of the investigation, a tip was received about the possible identity of the woman. Using dental records, investigators were able to confirm the identity of the woman as Ashley Fuller, who was born May 10, 2001. Ashley had been missing from Columbia, Tennessee, since 2020. An investigation into her death continues.
A DNASolves crowdfund was created to raise funds for the casework costs, but the vast majority of the funding was provided by NamUs. NamUs is a national clearinghouse that assists the criminal justice community with the investigation and resolution of missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons cases across the United States and its territories. NamUs is funded and administered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and is managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International. We are grateful to everyone that contributed to help make it possible to work this case.
The identification of Ashley Fuller represents the 17th case in the State of Tennessee where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in Nashville, Tennessee, Steven Allen Yantz, who fell from a 20 foot wall, was identified after 31 years.
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.