Nevada State Police say DNA and a genealogy search have identified human remains found west of Imlay in 1978.
NSP says the Pershing County Sheriff's Office says a garment bag containing human remains was found in a remote area near Scossa Road, approximately 13 miles west of Imlay, in October 1978.
NSP says an autopsy identified the remains as a white woman, at least 40 years old. But they say the due to the heavily decayed remains, a cause of death could not be determined.
In May of 1979, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the Nevada State Police. Detectives conducted an investigation through multiple channels in an attempt to identify the woman, including media releases, numerous tips and dental records. The FBI helped with facial reconstruction and a mitochondrial DNA profile. NSP say the case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), However, the investigation did not result in establishing a significant lead.
In March of 2022 the Investigation Division and NamUs enlisted the assistance of Othram, an American company specializing in forensic genealogy, to perform advanced forensic DNA testing of the female remains and a genealogy search. As a result of this new technology, NSP says several new investigative leads were developed, resulting in the female remains being identified as Florence Charleston of Cleveland, Ohio.
They says a subsequent investigation revealed that Charleston had moved to Portland, Oregon sometime in the early 1970’s and family members lost contact with her by 1978.
The investigation into Charleston’s death is still ongoing.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Nevada State Police - Investigation Division at (775) 684-7456.
(NSP contributed to this report.)
