COLD CASE BREAKTHROUGH: DNA evidence identifies victim in 1998 Utah case

BY MARK GREEN AND DAVID WELLS, NOVEMBER 29, 2018

GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah — 20-year-old case finds a major breakthrough with the help of DNA evidence and Sorenson Forensics DNA processing experts. A woman found dead from a fatal gunshot wound to the head and wrapped in a sleeping bag near Ticaboo, Utah in 1998 now has a name.

With help from the Sorenson Forensics DNA analysis team, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office identified her as Lena Reyes-Geddes, who resided in Youngstown, Ohio.

Reyes-Geddes, who was originally from Mexico, had been living in Ohio for two years before she was murdered.

Authorities were able to positively identify the body earlier this month after receiving DNA samples from two family members who live in Mexico.

The identification comes after the cold case was renewed in October and authorities put out a new plea for information, along with photos from the crime scene. 

While a suspect in the murder has not been named, the sheriff’s office indicates they know that person’s identity.

If your team would like more information on the DNA processing of cold case evidence, we are ready to help! Click here to reach out to our Priority Lab team now.