Advanced DNA test helps identify remains of teenagers who disappeared in 1975

 

Patricia Agnes Gildavi was last seen on February 8, 1975 in Fairfax, Virginia. In September 2001, his skeletal remains were found by a construction team.

Patricia Agnes Gildavi disappeared in 1975 (Image Credit: Fairfax County Police Department)

The skeletal remains of an American teenager who went missing nearly 50 years ago have now been identified thanks to advanced DNA testing techniques.

Fairfax County Police said in a statement Monday that Patricia Agnes Gildavi was last seen on February 8, 1975, in the city of Fairfax, Virginia. Gildavi was 17 when she went missing.

In September 2001, a construction team found his skeletal remains, along with some clothing, in the back of an apartment complex. Preliminary investigation revealed that he died of a bullet injury in the back of the head.

However, the report also incorrectly indicated that the remains probably belonged to "an African American woman in her teens to early 20s."

Most recently cold case detectives, working with Othrum -- a Texas-based company that provides advanced DNA testing and forensic-grade genome sequencing -- were able to accurately identify the remains.


Earlier this year, Cold Case detectives affiliated with Othrum Inc. discovered that the remains were those of a Caucasian woman, Fairfax Police said in their press release.

According to CNN, the DNA test gave birth to a half-sister, who in turn identified Gildwee and shared her story.

"Analysts discovered that Gildavi was brought into the world in France in February 1958 and moved to the US when she was eight months old," the official statement said. "In the mid 1970s, Gildaway moved to downtown Fairfax. Before her vanishing at 17 years old, Gildaway was dating a more established man. She assembled an upholstery close to the crossing point of Chapel Road and Legal advisors Street in Vienna. Worked in the store.

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