Who was 'Little Miss Nobody'? 4-year-old girl who was killed in 1960 FINALLY gets a name
The remains of a slain four-year-old girl have been identified 62 years after she was found in an Arizona desert in 1960. The girl's identity was a mystery and investigators called her "Little Miss Nobody." But thanks to advanced DNA technology, the girl now has a name — authorities on Tuesday identified her as Sharon Lee Gallegos.
Sharon was kidnapped while playing in her grandmother's backyard in Alamagordo, New Mexico, on July 21, 1960, authorities said. Her remains were discovered 10 days later, on July 31, 1960, partially buried in Sand Creek Wash, near Congress, Arizona. At the time, the unidentified girl's age was reported to be between 6-8 years, and between 3-6 years later.
She was taken by "a couple who had been stalking her," according to the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, an ABC report said.
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Sharon was never linked to the body in Arizona, according to the police, because the outfit she was found in was different from what she had been reportedly wearing at the time of the abduction. Her age was also a source of concern.
Authorities said they had no idea who kidnapped and murdered the girl, and the matter was still being investigated. The Alamogordo Police Department and the FBI looked for the little girl and the suspects, who were reported to be driving a dark green 1951 or 1952 Plymouth, but were unable to locate them.
“Little Miss Nobody” No More
— NCMEC (@MissingKids) March 15, 2022
62 years later, with help from NCMEC, @OthramTech, @YavapaiSheriff and others, the little girl who touched the Yavapai community deeply has finally gotten her name back...
Her name is Sharon Lynn Gallegos. #NeverStop💛https://t.co/qvKNxDa0ph pic.twitter.com/LHqbJaGAPH
Residents in Prescott, Arizona's central-northern city, gathered money for the burial and florists, and a mortuary volunteered its services for the petite girl they called 'Little Miss Nobody.'
'Little Miss Nobody. Blessed are the Pure in Heart... St. Matthew 5:8', her original tombstone marker said.
According to news accounts at the time, a local radio announcer and his wife stepped in for the girl's parents during the funeral at Prescott's Congregational Church. In a report published by The Associated Press on August 11, 1960, KYCA announcer Dave Paladin was cited stating, "I guess I just couldn't stand to see a little child buried in boot hill."
Solved using DNA technology
The Yavapai County crime remained unsolved until the bones were unearthed in 2015 to get DNA samples. The case was investigated by the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and others. Earlier this year, the sheriff's office and Texas DNA firm Othram raised $4,000 to pay for specialist testing that eventually identified the girl. Sheriff David Rhodes of Yavapai County said he was delighted that investigators "did not let go until the unfortunate moniker of 'Little Miss Nobody' could be removed from the headstone that sits in a cemetery here in Prescott."
The girl's parents have since passed away, but her nephew Ray Chavez was present at the press conference to express gratitude to authorities for not giving up on their search for his aunt. There was no mention of any other relatives who were still alive. Chavez claimed that his aunt had always been described as a cheerful young lady. "We were amazed how the people rallied around her," Chavez remarked. "Thank you for keeping my aunt safe and never forgetting her."