Jerilyn L Smith: Missing woman, 68, identified using DNA from severed foot found near Washington river
CLALLAM COUNTY, WASHINGTON: A 68-year-old woman who went missing five years before was identified on Tuesday by a human foot that was discovered inside a sneaker that washed up on a northern Washington beach in 2021. Jerilyn L Smith, who had gone missing in 2018, was identified using DNA, the Clallam County Sheriff's Office said.
The human foot was discovered inside a pair of New Balance brand shoes in a woman's size 8. At first, the authorities were unable to quickly ascertain the woman's age, race, height, or weight as the foot was the only piece of her remains that had been found, according to the sheriff's office.
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Where did they find the shoe?
In December 2021, a shoe containing the foot was found near the mouth of the Elwha River in Port Angeles, Washington. It was discovered by an individual who reported it to Clallam County Sheriff’s Office. Despite pursuing many leads the identity remained a mystery until 2022 when the Sheriff's office partnered with Othram to determine if advanced forensic DNA testing could help establish an identity for the woman or a close relative.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau received information from Othram Labs, located in The Woodlands, Texas, of a possible identification from a human foot that was found, the Sheriff's office said. Othram Labs then provided a list of surviving family members to the identified DNA source to confirm the identity of the remains, it added.
Jerilyn L Smith went missing on January 7, 2018
Sheriff's department then contacted one of the surviving family members who voluntarily provided a DNA sample which was sent to Othram Labs for comparison. Shortly thereafter, Othram Labs confirmed that the foot belonged to a resident of Sequim, Jerilyn L Smith, who was reported missing on January 7, 2018. Jerilyn was 68 years old at the time of her disappearance.
The Clallam County Sheriff's Office said that the family members were grateful and that they had established a DNA Solves crowdfund to cover casework costs which were "generously crowd-funded". It then partnered with Othram Labs which also received praise from the family for cracking the case. It added, "The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office would also like to thank all those who participated in funding the DNA research on this case that ultimately helped a family with having some semblance of closure during the grieved loss of their loved one."
