DNA used to identify remains of victim in 2004 NorCal cold case homicide
SACRAMENTO -- Investigators used DNA genealogy technology to identify the remains of a woman killed in Northern California 18 years ago, and sheriff's officials are now asking for the public's help in identifying her killer.
The identity of Shannon Vielguth, who was born in 1969, was confirmed with the DNA of a close family member, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday.
Vielguth's remains were found near Sacramento in March 2008. Coroner's officials classified the death as a homicide and determined she was killed in autumn 2004, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Authorities launched a genetic genealogy investigation last year, loading her DNA profile onto open-source genealogy websites.
Sheriff's officials said investigators learned that Vielguth was living as a transient in the six months before her murder, spending time in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado, Nevada and California. She used other last names, including Judkins, Hutchings and Joyce.
Investigators asked anyone with information regarding Vielguth's murder or her whereabouts in the months leading to her death to call the sheriff's homicide bureau.