Melody Harrison: DNA Doe Project cracks Apache Junction Jane Doe's identity 30 years after her tragic death
APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA: The DNA Doe Project has managed to identify the Apache Junction Jane Doe from Phoenix solving a mystery that had been unresolved for almost thirty years.
On Thursday, November 16, the DNA company issued a statement revealing that the individual known as "Jane Doe" has been identified as Melody Harrison, a 15-year-old who was reported missing from Phoenix in June 1992.
The case of Melody Harrison
According to the Apache Junction police, Harrison's family was led to believe that she had started a new life and did not wish to return home, as they had been informed of sightings of her post-disappearance, per ABC 15.
However, Harrison's remains were reportedly discovered near Baseline Avenue and Idaho Road on August 6, 1992.
It was estimated that she had been dead for about 3 to 5 weeks before the discovery of her body.
In an effort to identify her, the Apache Junction Police Department submitted Harrison's DNA to GED-match, a national public DNA database, as part of the DNA Doe Project in 2018.
How long did it take for DNA Doe Project to identify Phoenix Jane Doe?
According to the DNA Doe Project, it took five years to positively identify Harrison.
The unidentified individual was initially described as potentially being half-Hispanic, a quarter African American, and a quarter white, likely aged between 16 to 18 at the time of her death.
This description was based on a DNA profile that was developed after her death.
By 2021, investigators had reportedly managed to identify close relatives of the unidentified individual.
In 2022, it was reported that the Apache Junction Police and the DNA Doe Project had joined forces to unravel her identity, per Fox 10 Phoenix.
The organization took to social media and announced, "After five years of dedicated research, we are so thrilled to join the Apache Junction Police Department in announcing the identification of Melody Harrison, formerly known as Apache Junction Jane Doe."
Why was identifying Melody Harrison complicated?
The process took 5 years due to adoptions within the family and Harrison's Mexican and African-American heritage, both of which are populations that are reportedly underrepresented in the databases.
"Complications with adoptions, misattributed parentage, and underrepresented population demographics never deterred DDP’s genealogists from working on this case after five years of research," stated DOA Doe Project researcher Bryan Worters.
Worters further added, "Although bittersweet, it is an honor to have played a role in restoring Melody’s identity and giving her family answers," as per Fox 10 Phoenix.
Apache Junction Police Investigator Stephanie Bourgeois, who has been on the case since 2008, has stated that the department is still in the process of determining the cause of death.
"There is peace of mind having found Melody’s identity and sharing with her family, but there isn't closure surrounding the circumstances of her death," stated Bourgeois.
She concluded with, "We are still searching to find out how she might have passed away."