Victim in 1994 Thousand Palms cold case death identified through forensic genealogy
The victim of a cold case death in Thousand Palms dating back to 1994 has been identified through the use of forensic genealogy, the Riverside County District Attorney's office announced.
According to the DA's office, the case dates back to Oct. 24, 1994, that's when the body of an elderly woman was found partially buried in the desert in Thousand Palms.
On Monday, the Da's announced that a DNA sample allowed them to identify the victim as Patricia Cavallaro, 57.
At the time Cavallaro's body was found, the coroner's office used all available resources to identify her, including having her DNA entered into the California Department of Justice Missing and Unidentified Persons System, but, no identification was able to be made.
"Because authorities were unable at the time to identify the victim and due to a lack of leads into what may have happened, this became a cold case," reads a news release by the DA's office.
27 years later, the Riverside County DA’s Regional Cold Case Homicide Team had a DNA sample created for the purposes of forensic genealogy. The sample was obtained using the services of Othram Inc., a Texas-based private lab.
Using genetic matches, the Cold Case Team was able to locate a potential match. The Cold Case Team was able to find a biological child and a DNA sample was submitted to the state Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
In mid-December 2021, the Cold Case Team was notified that the state Department of Justice had issued a final report showing strong support that the victim in the 1994 death was Patricia Cavallaro, with a birthdate of March 22, 1937.
The Cold Case Team has notified Patricia Cavallaro’s next of kin.
"Without the use of forensic genealogy, this victim may have never been identified," adds the DA's office.
The cold case investigation into her death remains ongoing.
The Regional Cold Case Homicide Team is comprised of members of the DA’s Office Bureau of Investigation, the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Department, the FBI, and the Riverside Police Department. The team is available to investigate cold case homicides for all Riverside County law enforcement agencies.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.
