Maury County Sheriff's Department Teams with Othram to Identify 2020 Jane Doe

The unidentified woman is now identified as Amanda Newcomb, born on October 31, 1978, in Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee.
Solved

You can help by contributing funding.

Help fund another case Your contributions pay for lab supplies and research tools

Would you like to help solve cases like this one?

You can help by contributing your DNA data here:
Contribute DNA
Published March 24 by Michael Vogen
SHARE
Media Inquiries

Summary

In November 2020, a Maury County Sherriff’s Deputy discovered the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman in a wooded area near Hood Road in Columbia, Tennessee. An anthropological examination revealed that the woman was likely a white female between the age of 25 and 40, estimated to be between five and five feet seven inches tall. It was predicted that the woman had died one to five years before the discovery of her remains.

Investigators entered the case into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP76025 but they were unable to identify the victim through traditional forensic methods.

In 2021, the Maury County Sheriff's Department turned to forensic genetic genealogy. Skeletal remains were sent to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas and a suitable DNA extract was developed. Othram’s scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile, and Othram’s in-house genetic genealogy team used the profile to generate investigative leads.

The leads were returned to law enforcement, and investigators continued their investigative efforts. Eventually, a family member was identified for DNA testing, which confirmed that the remains belonged to Amanda Newcomb. Amanda was born on October 31, 1978, in Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee. It was discovered that Amanda had died sometime after 2018, and no missing person’s report had been filed.

The Maury County Sheriff's Department asks that anyone with information or anyone that had contact with or knew of any associates of Amanda Newcomb between February 2018 and early 2020, to please contact the Maury County Sheriff’s office at

931-388-5151 - Dispatch 931-375-6601 – Lt. Roscoe Voss 931-375-8601 - Sheriff Bucky Rowland

Help fund another case Your contributions pay for lab supplies and research tools

Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381
media@othram.com

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.

Similar cases

Read More
Read More
Read More
About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at ... Read morerecovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. With dnasolves.com anyone can make a difference and help solve the next cold case.