Illinois cold cast victim identified as Ohio woman 50 years later

MORRIS, Illinois (CBS) – A woman found murdered on the side of a country road about 50 miles southwest of Chicago in 1976 has been identified, officials announced Thursday.

The woman found dead in Grundy County was not named. Officials identified her Thursday as JoAnne “Vicki” Smith, who was just 20 years old when she died.

Detectives said the woman's DNA led them to surviving family members. Earlier this year, a DNA match led authorities to identify the body as Smith's.

For nearly 50 years, her family has wondered what happened to their loved one, who disappeared from her home in Ohio in 1976.

“The case went cold,” said John Callahan, the Grundy County Coroner.

But then, in 2018, the coroner's office took another look and the unidentified woman's remains were exhumed. This year, the woman's genetic profile led researchers to the Smith family, originally from Ohio.

“I remember that morning he disappeared,” said Ronnie Smith, his brother.

Ronnie said JoAnne was her big sister and the “apple of my mother's eye.” He disappeared from his family home in Cincinnati in 1976 and was never heard from again. Ronnie was only 8 years old when his sister disappeared.

“This was not a normal thing in our household,” said Ronnie Smith. “No one stayed out at night. That didn't happen, not at my mother's house. I can't imagine anything more devastating to be buried in an unmarked grave.”

Smith said while she has closure knowing what happened to her sister, her focus now is on finding the person responsible.

“We will always believe, and we will believe, that whoever perpetrated this crime against her, if he is alive, will be brought to justice,” he said.

William Button, the Grundy County Coroner in 1976, called the identification “unbelievable.”

“Unbelievable, I'll tell you the truth,” Button said. “Why, look what DNA has done.”

Investigators said JoAnne “Vickie” Smith was adopted and her name changed several times, adding to the complexity of the case and the search for loved ones.

His remains will be interred with his late parents in a future ceremony.