Kenneth Nevada Williams, 15, of La Puente, left home in October 1977 to pursue his dream of living in a big city. Eight months later, he was dead.
Donald Alway, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, credited genetic genealogy and “dogged investigators” with determining Wiliams’ identity.. “Kenneth Nevada Williams is now a known victim, and identifying his killer is the next step in solving this case.”Long Beach police officials said that it was in the early morning hours of June 3, 1978, when the body of an unidentified teen was found sprawled on the pavement on Division Street near Corona Street.
“He was found wearing a light blue T-shirt, blue jeans, a brown leather belt, blue socks and blue and white tennis shoes with brown soles,” the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said. “The John Doe also had a faint stamp on the back of his hand that read ‘PAID.’”Kenneth Nevada Williams, pictured at left in a middle school photo, ran away from home in October 1977.
“Over the last four decades, several generations of LBPD homicide detectives diligently worked the case, even expanding the investigation internationally to other countries in their attempt to identify the victim,” The unsolved case gained new life over the past several years as genetic genealogy became a powerful new tool for cold case detectives across the country. Long Beach police officials said last week that partnerships with state and national organizations allowed investigators to submit John Doe 1978′s genetic material for a full DNA profile suitable for genealogical purposes.“Badly degraded and chemically damaged skeletal evidence was sent to Othram’s lab in The Woodlands, Texas,”.
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