The Kern County sheriff’s office has revealed the identity of a 15-year-old California teen who was found buried in a vineyard grave nearly 50 years ago.
The teen was last spotted in February 1978 before her remains were discovered by a tractor operator in a shallow grave.
During the media briefing, the Kern County Sheriff’s Department revealed the identity of the teen as Michelle Louise Collier.
According to the authorities, Collier’s body was found four months after her disappearance.
She was then known as Jane Doe as a temporary label, with her cause of death described as a homicide.
But at the time, her identity was not known that stalled the probe.
On June 21, 1978, a tractor driver, while on fields cultivating a grape vineyard near South Wheeler Ridge Road, discovered skeletal remains.
At the time, an autopsy couldn’t ascertain the cause of her death.
The detectives recovered fingerprints and dental X-rays, but neither provided any clue to identify the teen.
Without identity known, authorities were scrambled to find answers.
The teen was buried at Arvin Cemetery in November 1978.
But in 2007, after forensic officials came to know that no DNA had been collected during the initial probe, her remains were exhumed.
Then, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children joined the efforts in 2015, producing a facial reconstruction surgery of the teen.
The breakthrough moment came when investigators submitted her DNA for forensic investigative genetic genealogy, a technique employed that uses DNA analysis with traditional family tree research.
Collier’s body was exhumed again in April and released to her siblings in July.
The identification has allowed investigators to pursue the circumstances that led to her mysterious disappearance.
So far, no information has arrived on the potential list of suspects in the cold case of 1978, but authorities believe identifying Michelle is an important step in the right direction.
2026-08-02 12:09:00
