Nationwide — Genelle Bradford, who was 18 years old at the time, has finally been identified as the Black woman found dead in an abandoned Pennsylvania home in 1999. Advanced DNA testing helped authorities establish her identity, but her killer is still unknown.
Her remains were discovered on June 28, 1999, in the basement of an abandoned house on North Avenue in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, according to KHOU. Forensic DNA company Othram said authorities identified the remains as those of a Black woman but could not determine her name because of their condition. They initially estimated that she was between 18 and 35 years old.
With no confirmed identity, investigators listed the woman in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP2670. She became known as Wilkinsburg Jane Doe, a name used for unidentified female victims. The case remained unresolved for years as authorities struggled to determine who she was.
A renewed effort eventually gave investigators a way forward. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office submitted evidence from the case to Othram, a forensic DNA laboratory based in The Woodlands, Texas. Scientists extracted DNA from the evidence and used genome sequencing to develop a genetic profile that could help identify the woman.
Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile to search for potential relatives and develop new leads. Investigators followed those leads and conducted additional inquiries before confirming that the unidentified woman was Genelle Princess Bradford. The identification ended nearly three decades of uncertainty over her name and established that she was only 18 years old when she died.
Although the identification marks a major development in the investigation, authorities still need to determine who killed her and what led to her death. No suspect has been publicly identified, and the circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear. Investigators are asking anyone with information about Bradford or the events surrounding her death to contact the authorities. With her identity now established, investigators can use the new information to pursue additional leads and work toward finding the person responsible.