Advanced DNA testing helps identify remains of teen who disappeared in 1975

Patricia Agnes Gildawie vanished in 1975 (Image credit: Fairfax County Police Department)

The skeletal remains of a US teenager who went missing nearly 50 years ago have now been identified, thanks to advanced DNA testing techniques.

Patricia Agnes Gildawie was last seen in the city of Fairfax, Virginia on February 8, 1975, Fairfax County Police said in a statement on Monday. Gildawie was 17 at the time she went missing.

In September 2001, a construction crew found her skeletal remains with some clothing behind an apartment complex. An initial review determined that she had died from a gunshot wound to the back of her head.

However, the report also indicated, incorrectly, that the remains likely belonged to “an African American female in her late teens to early 20s.”

It was only recently that cold case detectives, working with Othram – a Texas-based company that provides advanced DNA testing and forensic-grade genome sequencing – were able to correctly identify the remains.

“Cold Case detectives connected with Othram Inc. earlier this year and learned the remains belonged to a Caucasian female,” said Fairfax Police in its press release.

According to CNN, DNA testing led to a half-sister who in turn identified Gildawie and shared her story.

“Detectives learned Gildawie was born in France in February 1958 and came to the United States when she was eight months old,” the press release said. “In the early 1970s, Gildawie moved to the City of Fairfax. Prior to her disappearance at age 17, Gildawie was dating an older man. He worked at an upholstery store, near the intersection of Church Street and Lawyers Road in Vienna.”

“Identifying this young woman solves a mystery that has been more than 47 years in the making,” said Ed O’Carroll, Bureau Commander of Major Crimes and Cyber and Forensics. “Our community should take comfort in knowing that our detectives never stop working these cases. Advancements in technology have given my Cold Case detectives an opportunity to pursue fresh leads and bring some relief to families that have been long suffering with the unknown.”

The investigation into Gildawie’s death is ongoing.