Cold case murder in Virginia could be tied to disappearance of former Durham Sheriff's niece
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Durham County Sheriff's Office says deputies are invested in helping to solve a cold case out of Virginia that could be tied to the niece of a former Sheriff.
Sheriff Marvin Davis was just a deputy when he started searching for his 16-year-old niece. He died in office before bringing the family closure.
He sent a letter to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in 1961 and explained that his niece had been "missing from the home of my brother in Washington DC for the past four months."
He attached pictures of Elizabeth Ann Smith.
At that time, Loudoun has a Jane Doe case.
More than six decades later, the Virginia agency says a recent investigation has uncovered potential connections between these two cold cases and ABC11 learned there has been a slight development in the effort.
Joe Kennedy is the Executive Director of Carolinas Cold Case Coalition. He works with law enforcement agencies throughout the country and has even helped with some international cold cases.
Kennedy is a former homicide investigator and says it must have been devastating for Davis not to be able to solve a family member's disappearance.
"I'm sure it had a profound impact on his life up until his death, no doubt," he said.
Kennedy reviewed this case for ABC11 Eyewitness News.
He says Virginia authorities are likely working to draw a link between the DNA of the Jane Doe case and Davis' niece, and he's optimistic they'll be able to identify her all the years later.
"There's a moniker - the colder the case, the harder it is to thaw. But with the advent of forensic genetic genealogy, no case is too old. We're solving cases today that we never would have imagined would be solved years ago," said Kennedy. "When you look at the age, it's likely the suspect is probably deceased, but at least it gives the family right or those remaining family members some resolution."
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said in a statement to ABC11, "We hope that this leads to information that can brings closure to Elizabeth Smith's loved ones."
