Haunting 53-Year SF Cold Case Closed

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco missing case that stretched across more than five decades and multiple states finally came to an end after the body of a woman who disappeared more than five decades ago was identified in a Texas.

San Francisco police traced the 53-year-old mystery to a morgue record in Texas, matched DNA across state lines, and finally identified Cheryl Lanier, who disappeared in 1973.

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The San Francisco Police Department closed the cold case on May 6, after investigators confirmed a match with remains from a Houston-area “Jane Doe."

Officers worked with the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, and California’s Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services to complete the identification.

Lanier’s case resurfaced in July 2025 when investigators in Harris County flagged an unidentified decedent as a possible match. San Francisco detectives pursued the lead, coordinated evidence transfers, and pushed for DNA comparison across jurisdictions.

Forensic analysts confirmed the match, ending a case that began when Lanier was reported missing in San Francisco in 1973. Officials later formalized the missing person report in 2010, but the case remained open for years despite continued review by the Missing Persons Unit.

Lanier, born Oct. 25, 1946, was described as African American, 5-foot-7, 130 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen at age 27.

Police expressed condolences to Lanier’s family and thanked multiple agencies, including the New York City Police Department and the Greenville Police Department in South Carolina, for assisting in the cross-country investigation that ultimately brought resolution to the decades-old case.