Woman Was Homicide Victim, Skeletal Remains Found In Shady Side

SHADY SIDE, MD — Tests show the woman whose skeletal remains were found in Shady Side in 2017 was the victim of a homicide, Anne Arundel County Police say. Remains were first found Oct. 18, 2017, in the area of Holly Drive and Chesapeake Drive, according to Anne Arundel County Police, who say the skeletal remains found on the shoreline had washed ashore. On Oct. 29, officers were sent to the 5300 block of Chesapeake Avenue in Shady Side for the discovery of human remains related to the earlier incident.

Detectives and staff from the medical examiner's office responded and collected the remains. So far, the sex, age, race, and manner of death are unknown and pending autopsy. But investigators believe the remains had been in the water for a long period of time and could be related to the remains discovered on Oct. 18 in the same area.

A preliminary assessment by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner showed the remains are those of a Caucasian or Asian woman in her mid-20s to 30 years old, who was about 5-feet 3-inches tall. On Feb. 14 authorities said the medical examiner concluded the human remains displayed apparent trauma with the manner of death being homicide.

Authorities said previously that they believe the remains are that of someone who went missing within a year of the victim's discovery.

The police department is using DNA phenotyping to identify the human remains; the process predicts physical appearance from DNA. It can be used to generate leads in cases where there are no suspects or database hits, to narrow suspect lists, and to help solve human remains cases, police said in a news release.

DNA carries the genetic blueprint for a person's physical characteristics, producing the range of appearances among people. By determining how genetic information translates into physical appearance, it is possible to "reverse-engineer" DNA into a physical profile. The process reads tens of thousands of genetic variants ("genotypes") from a DNA sample and uses this information to predict what an unidentified person looks like.

Police ask anyone with information about the case to call the Anne Arundel County Homicide Unit at 410-222- 4731. To remain anonymous, contact the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line 410-222- 4700.

Patch file photo