Texas cold case: Midland murder mystery from 2000
The stays of 16-year-old Sylvia Nicole Smith have been discovered 13 years after she disappeared in 2000, however remained unidentified till now.
MIDLAND, Texas — The final time Sylvia Nicole Smith’s mom noticed her 16-year-old daughter was Valentine’s Day in 2000. She thought the teenager had run away and reported her lacking on February 18.
Now, 22 years later, the Midland mother lastly is aware of what occurred to Sylvia.
Human stays present in Midland County practically 9 years in the past have now been positively recognized as Sylvia following a number of detective work by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Now, investigators need to know who killed her.
How they solved one mystery
Sylvia’s partial stays have been present in a distant space off South County Road close to FM 1213, south of Midland, on August 1, 2013. They were discovered by workers surveying near an oilfield well site.
The Texas Rangers, DPS Aircraft and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office carried out an intensive search of the realm for different proof however did not discover something.
The stays have been despatched to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification. DNA revealed the sufferer was a feminine between the ages of 14 and 21 who was possible the sufferer of a murder. From there, the case went cold.
Then in 2020, the Rangers despatched the stays to Parabon Nanolabs for superior DNA evaluation to find out what the sufferer regarded like.
The outcomes revealed the sufferer was of African-American descent, and recognized eye colour, hair colour and pores and skin tone. A genetic genealogist who examined the DNA assisted with a match which led to a distant relative.
Rangers interviewed quite a few potential family over the subsequent two years and eventually recognized the sufferer’s mom, who nonetheless lived within the space. She confirmed her daughter had vanished 22 years in the past.
Rangers collected DNA samples from Smith’s household that confirmed the stays present in 2013 have been undoubtedly Sylvia.
Trying to resolve murder mystery
The Rangers are actually conducting a murder investigation into her demise, and ask anybody with info into her disappearance or murder to return ahead with info.
To be eligible for money rewards, tipsters should present info to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All suggestions are nameless.
Texas Crime Stoppers provides rewards of as much as $3,000 for info that results in the arrest of these accountable for any Ranger cold case listed on the web site. For extra info, go to the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case web site.
Individuals also can submit info via the Cold Case web site or by telephone to the Missing Person Hotline at 1-800-346-3243.
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