Who was Colleen Audrey Rice? Woman found dead in Arizona desert in 1971 identified through her DNA
KINGMAN, ARIZONA: A woman found dead in the Arizona desert 52 years ago has now been identified. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday, January 24, that DNA testing proved Colleen Audrey Rice was the victim and that the identification was made possible with the help of crowdfunding.
On January 23, 1971, hunters in an Arizona desert area discovered a white cotton sack tied to a gravel road, according to authorities. According to investigators, the sack bore the words 'Deer-Pak Ames Harris Neville Co' in green paint and was loosely tied with a white cord, CBS reported.
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Who was Colleen Audrey Rice?
In attempting to identify Colleen Audrey Rice, police determined that there was no identification and that the victim's identity was unknown to Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Investigators attempted to identify Rice at that time using dental records and fingerprints, but were unsuccessful.
According to the Sheriff's Office, its Special Investigations Division worked with an artist in October 2021 to create a sketch of Rice's possible appearance, NBC reported. Police commissioned an artist from the Museum of Northern Arizona to create a sketch of Rice based on the features of her skull. According to police, she was dressed in black leather ankle-high boots and orange stretch pants. As reported, the sketch was released in hopes that someone would have information.
The search included motels, hotels and airports. Police stated that no one was looking for the woman, whom they believed to be 35 to 40 years old with curly brown hair, and the public was urged to contact the sheriff's office. Records of the woman's murder were eventually sent to the Mohave County records room after investigators classified the homicide as a "cold case."
According to the sheriff's office, authorities began working with the forensic genealogy firm Othram Inc. last year to determine if advanced DNA testing and Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing could shed light on this woman's identity and the circumstances surrounding her untimely death. "The government paid $1,000 for the DNA testing and asked for public support for the remaining $6,500. The money was raised in just five days. "On January 23, 2023, the victim found her voice. Through the use of Forensic Genetic Genealogy, the victim has been identified as Colleen Audrey Rice," the sheriff's office stated. "DNA testing of a relative confirmed this after countless hours of investigation into her family tree and contact with distant family relatives," NBC reported.
Investigators found that Rice was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1931 and attended Portsmouth High School there. James C Rice and Flossie Truitt were identified as her parents. According to investigators, she married William Davis in Ohio in 1946. She died at about age 39. According to Arizona authorities, Rice lost contact with her family at some point. They do not know when she moved to Arizona, how she got there or if she had children.
The search for a possible suspect is still ongoing, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Anyone who has information regarding Rice or the incident is encouraged to contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office SIU at 928-753-0753 ext. 4408 or call the toll free number at 1-800-522-4312 and reference DR# 71-0383.