ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Police have renewed their search to find a deceased New Jersey woman's family members – this time, 42 years after her murder.
On Monday, the New Jersey State Police asked for the public's help identifying human remains that were discovered more than four decades ago.
According to police, a young woman was murdered in an act of domestic violence on Eppirt Street in East Orange on Sept. 14, 1984. At the time, her associates knew her as "L.A." or "Loranda," but for decades, the woman's true identity remained unknown – leaving unanswered questions about who she was, where she came from, and the family who loved her.
There has been a renewed effort to make headway on the cold case, police said:
"Through the dedication of the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, and the East Orange Police Department, her remains were located and exhumed so that a new DNA profile could be developed. With support from federal grant funding and a partnership with Ramapo College of New Jersey, investigators are pursuing investigative genetic genealogy to identify her and, ultimately, reunite her with her family."
Authorities said anyone with information can contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at missingpinformation@njsp.gov or 609-882-2000, ext. 2554.
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