Summary
On November 16, 1999, the remains of an unidentified woman were discovered by hunters in Sandoval County, New Mexico, located just west of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The Sandoval County Sheriff's Office and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator responded and began investigating and collecting evidence. Along with skeletal remains, investigators found a blanket and pieces of clothing, but those clues did not help identify the woman. Investigators estimated that the woman was 23 and 60 years old and likely stood 5'1" to 5'6" tall.
Despite years of investigative efforts, with few clues to go on, the woman's identity remained a mystery and she became known as Sandoval County Jane Doe. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP10294. 
In November 2024, the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office working with the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the woman. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the woman. Othram's in-house genealogists used the profile in a forensic genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.
These leads reinvigorated the long-unsolved investigation, and providing investigators with new clues about the woman's ancestry and identity. A follow-up investigation ensued, leading to potential relatives of the woman. A reference DNA sample was collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified woman using Othram's KinSNP® rapid relationship testing. This comparison positively identified the woman as 19-year-old Jeanette Maria De La Cruz.
Jeanette De La Cruz, from Albuquerque, NM, was last seen on October 20, 1999. She was reported as missing with details of her disappearance entered in NamUs as MP1127 by the Corrales Police Department. From the start of the investigation in 1999, the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office investigated this case as a possible homicide. After Jeanette De La Cruz was identified, detectives have now concluded that Jeanette De La Cruz died at a private residence. Two men at the residence panicked and took her body to the rural area to bury her. They will not face any charges in the case.
A portion of Othram's casework costs was contributed by donors through a DNASolves® crowdfund. We are grateful to those who helped crowdfund this case and other DNASolves® cases. The remainder of Othram's casework costs was funded by NamUs, a national program 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 for the support of RTI, NamUs, and the NIJ as well as to those who helped crowdfund this case and other DNASolves cases.
This is the 5th publicly announced case in the State of New Mexico where officials leveraged Othram’s identity inference pipeline. Explore other cases on Othram’s website.
Dan Miller
Director of Customer Service
Dan guides law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally through every step of the forensic process—from crime scene to courtroom. He ensures investigators have the support and resources they need to navigate advanced DNA testing and maximize the impact of forensic evidence in their cases.