Summary
In January 2013, a man walking in an empty field found human bones near Broadway Boulevard SE and Murray Road SE in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office responded and identified the remains, which were found in a shallow grave, as human. Given similarities to other remains found in 2009 on the city’s west mesa, Albuquerque Police Department (APD) assisted in additional searches with cadaver dogs and investigative support.
Months later in September 2013, additional remains were found in a nearby area, which were determined to belong to the same individual. Forensic anthropologists determined that the individual was a White female between 40 and 60 years old. Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP11145.
In September 2022, the Albuquerque Police Department, working with the Office of the Medical Examiner at the University of New Mexico, submitted forensic evidence to Othram. Upon receipt of the evidence at Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the evidence. A comprehensive DNA profile for the woman was built using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. Upon completion of the process, the profile was delivered to investigators with the Albuquerque Police Department’s Cold Case Unit and the FBI’s forensic genetic genealogy team.
Using new leads, investigators located family members in Albuquerque who assisted in identifying the woman as 54-year-old Terry Matthews.Terry was married in February of 2006 and was last seen that same summer. Terry was never reported missing, and her case has since been handed back over to Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
Any information on the 2013 case of Terry Matthews can be submitted anonymously to the Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers at (5050)-843-STOP or p3tips.com/531.
The identification of Terry Matthews represents the third case in the State of New Mexico where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. To learn more about other New Mexico cases, visit DNASolves.
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.