Summary

In March 2001, the skeletal remains of an unknown individual were discovered in the woods on Driver's Flat Road in between the small northern California towns of Auburn and Foresthill in Placer County. Placer County is a mountainous area northeast of Sacramento that extends to Lake Tahoe.

The initial discovery was made by a group of mushroom hunters in a wooded area around 1:30 p.m. on March 20, 2001. A partial skull was found in a ditch near a creek. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office responded and used cadaver dogs to search the area for several days looking for more clues and any additional human remains. The remains were determined to belong to a Black woman likely 40 to 55 years old, who stood between 5'4" and 5'7" and had died a year earlier. The woman had healed fractures to the left eye and nasal area as well as the lower left arm. Her left humerus had an unhealed fracture that appeared to have occurred between 3 and 6 months prior to death. Dental records and other details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP17528. Despite extensive efforts, the case remained unsolved and she became known as Placer County Jane Doe or Foresthill Jane Doe.

The case was reopened in 2023 by the Placer County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Investigations Team, consisting of investigators from both the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Placer County District Attorney's Office. In 2024, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas in hopes that advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help generate new leads and identify the woman. 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 which was returned to law enforcement.

The DNA profile was provided to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office so that it could be used in a forensic genetic genealogy search to develop new leads in the case. Through this collaboration, detectives located a possible relative and obtained a DNA sample for comparison using STR testing at the California Department of Justice. In 2025, a match was confirmed, linking the decedent’s DNA to that of the relative. In March 2025, the remains were officially identified as Zania Williams, also known as Zenia Williams. She had never been listed as a missing person.

Zania Williams, who was 34 years old at the time of her disappearance, was last seen at her residence in Sacramento around Christmas 2000. That was about 15 months before her remains were found in Foresthill, 60 miles northeast of downtown Sacramento.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the circumstances of her death and urges anyone with information to email them at PCSOTipLine@placer.ca.gov.

Othram's casework was funded by the Placer County Sheriff's Office. However, many cases remain unresolved due to a lack of available funding. Those interested in supporting the application of forensic genetic genealogy in unidentified person cases can contribute directly to DNASolves, where contributions enable critical testing that can help bring long-awaited answers to families.

Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves database. Growing participation in forensic genetic genealogy databases increases the likelihood of successful identifications, helping to reunite families with their missing loved ones and resolve cases that have remained unanswered for years.

The identification of Williams marks the 60th case in the State of California where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other California cases, where your support can help bring long-awaited answers to families.