LOXA Hatchee, Fla. (WFLA) – For more than 40 years, the woman murdered in Palm Beach County remained known only as “the mama of the jewels.”
However, that changed to Monday, February 10th. The company specializing in forensic genetics has announced that DNA testing has announced her true identity. Othram, Inc. According to the murder victim, Leona Jean Keller, 37.
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“This is the 36th case in Florida, and authorities publicly identified people using DNA.
Technology developed by Othram,” said Colby Lasyone, Othram’s Chief of Staff. “I’ll use these
Advanced tools, we hope we can continue to help you solve and get the case solution
More victims and their families. ”
In 1982, a real estate agent came across Keller’s body while assessing the land along Okeechobee Boulevard and F Road in Roxa Hatchie, a community in Palm Beach County, north of Miami.
At the time, investigators were able to establish that the victim was a middle-aged woman and that she was shot in the head. She wore five pieces of jewelry. It comes with a gold necklace, a watch and three rings. One of them was a diamond ring with a setting of 14K white gold.
Detectives ruled her death as murder. However, despite their best efforts, authorities said they were unable to determine the identity of the women.
During the initial investigation, traditional DNA profiles were developed and entered into DNA databases nationwide, but authorities said they were not in agreement.
The woman eventually became known as the “Gemstone Mama” because of her high-end jewel fragments she wore and the belief that she gave birth to more than two children.
Decades have passed without answers. Then, in 2021, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office worked with Othram to determine whether advanced DNA testing would help reveal the woman’s name.
Scientists in the Oslam lab in Texas could generate new leads on female identity, and investigators would eventually launch a follow-up investigation that tracks some of her potential relatives. I urged him to.
Reference DNA samples collected from one of her potential relatives turned out to be matches, which ultimately led to the identification of Kellers, scientists explained.
