Cold case breakthrough: Body found in woods nearly 20 years ago identified

Advances in DNA technology are being credited with solving a growing pile of cold case murders in the United States. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rick Bowmer Rick Bowmer)

A major breakthrough has emerged in a cold case that has puzzled investigators for nearly two decades in La Vergne.

The body of a woman discovered in remote woods in November 2007 has finally been identified as Mary Alice Maloney, a 40-year-old Connecticut native who was living in Nashville at the time of her death.

La Vergne Police turned to the DNA Doe Project after years of being unable to identify the remains.

The volunteer organization uses genetic genealogy investigators to help solve cold cases involving unidentified victims.

On Nov. 14, 2007, police discovered the body in a wooded area in La Vergne.

Authorities initially believed the victim was Black or multiracial, between the ages of 25 and 49.

The DNA Doe Project uses genetic material from websites people use to trace their ancestry to help identify remains of bodies that have been found.

Matthew Waterfield with the DNA Doe Project explained how the process works.

“Every person who uploads their DNA to the databases we have access to, again, GED Match, or Family Tree DNA or DNA Justice, they could have a distant cousin out there who they’ve never heard about, never met, no real ties to, but their DNA could be what enables us to build back their family tree,” Waterfield said.

After months of work in 2021 building Maloney’s family tree, one more person uploaded their DNA, marking a major turning point in the case.

“They found that a distant cousin of hers had moved to Connecticut and that she had married a Puerto Rican man. That was a real, a real eureka moment for us, because we knew that we were likely looking at somebody with one Puerto Rican parent and one African American parent,” Waterfield said.

While identifying Maloney represents a significant breakthrough, the investigation continues.

La Vergne Police confirmed there is still an ongoing cold case investigation underway.

The DNA Doe Project works with several DNA databases, including GED Match, Family Tree DNA and DNA Justice, to help solve cases involving unidentified remains.