Summary

In April 1995, the remains of a young woman were discovered in a shallow grave by a group of children. The discovery was made behind a vacant house in the 300 block of Atwood Street in Atlanta, Georgia. Investigators suspected the woman died only days before the discovery, but were unable to determine her cause of death. They suspect that she may have died of an overdose, as the house that she was discovered behind had been used for the manufacture of illicit narcotics. Investigators suspect that she may have been from the Adamsville area in Atlanta, and that she reportedly frequented the Ashby, Dill and Beecher Street areas.

Investigators believe that the unknown woman went by the name “Wanda” in the days and weeks prior to her death. They also determined that she was likely 5’7” tall and weighed 140 pounds at the time of her death. Additionally, they noted that she had brown eyes and black hair, which she wore in tight cornrows. She also had a mole on her right foot, a noticeable gap between her upper front teeth, and had her ears single pierced. At the time of the discovery, the young woman was wearing a light blue button-up short-sleeve shirt, a pair of faded Bugle Boy jeans with an elastic waistband and a draw string, and a pair of size 6.5 black Adidas Dynaprene sneakers, as well as multi-color underwear with a Tweety Bird manufacturer's label.

For almost three decades, law enforcement diligently pursued various leads about the woman's identity. In November 2007, her case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP650. Despite the exhaustive efforts of law enforcement, the woman’s identity remained a mystery. With few leads for investigators to pursue, the case eventually went cold.

In 2022, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office partnered with Othram to determine if advanced forensic DNA testing could help establish an identity for the young woman. Forensic evidence was submitted to Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help to identify the woman. The expenses for this case were funded by the public through a DNASolves crowdfund created for this case. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and 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 the profile to begin a genealogical search to generate new investigative leads for the investigation. During the course of the investigation, a woman came forward as a potential relative. The comprehensive DNA profile for "Wanda" was then compared to the potential relative using KinSNP® Rapid Relationship Testing. The KinSNP® analysis confirmed the relationship and helped investigators confirm the identity of the woman as Kiyona Arnold, born March 1, 1980. At the time of her discovery, she would have been only 15 years old.

The investigation into her death continues and anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office by calling (404) 613-4400 and referencing agency case 95-0716.

The identification of Kiyona Arnold represents the 23nd case in the State of Georgia where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. To read about other cases in Georgia, visit DNASolves.

To support the resolution of more cases like this, consider providing your DNA data to DNASolves in support of law enforcement identifying perpetrators and bringing answers to victims and their families.