Yuba City woman identified as person found dead in Colusa County river in 1991
COLUSA COUNTY — A woman found dead in the Sacramento River in Colusa County in 1991 has been identified decades later, authorities said Friday.
The woman was identified as Betty Jo Evans, born on October 4, 1961. Evans had been living in Yuba City at the time, the Colusa County Sheriff's Office said, and was possibly homeless.
Detectives went to the river on August 13, 1991, after a farmer reported finding a dead person in the water, about a mile south of the Meridian Bridge. The individual had dark hair and was face down in the water.
Several attempts were made over the years to identify the body, the sheriff's office said. A Colusa County investigator reopened the case in 2017 and, with the help of the FBI Sacramento's genetic genealogy team, they were able to identify the deceased as Evans this year.
The genetic genealogy team helped produce leads for investigators to follow in several states. The sheriff's office said Evans' next-of-kin, who lives in Florida has been notified of the identification.
Genetic genealogy has been used nationwide over the years to reopen and solve cold cases. A major breakthrough involving genetic genealogy occurred in 2018 when authorities in Sacramento County announced the arrest of the Golden State Killer.