After 44 years, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has finally identified a homicide victim who was found near the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip in 1979. Authorities made the announcement on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.
Gwenn Marie Story, a 19-year-old from Colerain Township, Ohio, was identified as the previously unknown victim, known as “Sahara Sue Doe.”
This significant development in the cold case was enabled by modern advancements in DNA testing technology. Story’s remains were discovered in August 1979 in a vacant lot near the northern edge of the Las Vegas Strip, close to the current location of the Strat Hotel.
An autopsy had determined her death as a homicide, but without her identity, the case remained unsolved. The breakthrough identification was made by Othram, a forensic genealogy analysis laboratory based in Texas. They created a detailed DNA profile for Story, leading to the identification of potential relatives. These relatives provided DNA samples, confirming Story’s identity.
LVMPD records reveal that Story left her home in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the summer of 1979, seeking her biological father in California. She was accompanied by two male friends from Cincinnati. However, Story’s family lost contact with her, and her companions returned to Ohio in August 1979 without her. They informed the family that Story had been left in Las Vegas.
This new information has directed the police investigation towards these two individuals, examining their potential involvement in Story’s death. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also contributed to the case by maintaining detailed records, which assisted in Story’s identification. LVMPD is actively investigating, focusing on the two men last seen with Story and pursuing any additional leads.
