Police said on Monday that the remains of a Virginia adolescent who vanished almost 50 years ago had finally been identified.
Authorities working on the long-running cold case gave improved DNA testing and “forensic-grade” genome sequencing credit for the new finding that connected a collection of previously unidentified bones to Patricia Agnes Gildawie, also known as “Choubi.”
In a press release verifying her identification, the Fairfax County Police Department said that Gildawie vanished in 1975 and was last seen on February 8 of that year. According to the press release, she was 17 at the time and dating an older guy who worked at an upholstery shop.
Gildawie’s half-sister helped with the latter phases of the police inquiry and provided some information about her background, including the fact that she was born in France in 1958 and then moved to the United States when she was just eight months old.
Gildawie resided in Fairfax and was known to drive a Cadillac Eldorado with a crimson upholstery at the time of her disappearance, according to authorities. Gildawie’s family is providing more assistance to the detectives as they continue to look into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Although nothing is known about her abduction, authorities claim that the teenager’s body parts were first found in the autumn of 2001 outside an apartment building where a construction team was working.
According to investigators, clothing items were discovered among the bone remains. Later, after a combined investigation by an anthropological and a medical examiner, it was concluded that Gildawie had died from a head wound from a bullet.
The bones discovered in 2001 remained unidentified until this year, when Fairfax County’s cold case investigators teamed up with Othram, Inc., a forensic genealogy company that specializes in missing persons cases and unsolved homicides. Detectives were directed to Gildawie’s half-sister by the genomic testing.
According to a statement from Ed O’Carroll, the bureau commander of major crimes, cyber, and forensics at the Fairfax County police department, “Identifying this young lady resolves a riddle that has been more than 47 years in the making.”
The statement said, “Our community can take heart in knowing that our investigators never cease investigating these crimes.
“Technology advancements have provided my Cold Case investigators the chance to follow up on new leads and provide some comfort to families who have been long suffering in the dark.”
Authorities are requesting anybody with knowledge on Gildawie’s death or disappearance to contact Fairfax County Crime Solvers as the inquiry is ongoing. For anonymous tips, they are providing incentives of up to $1,000.