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Canadian police have identified the woman known as the "Nation River Lady," nearly five decades after she was found dead in the Nation River near the Highway 417 bridge, south of Casselman, Ontario. 

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced last week that Jewell "Lalla" Langford, who was 48 at the time of her death, has been identified through the use of genetic genealogy.

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Nation River Lady

Langford, whose maiden name was Parchman, had traveled to Montréal in April 1975 when she disappeared. Her family reported her missing. 

On May 3, 1975, a local farmer discovered her body in the Nation River. Despite numerous efforts over the years, authorities were unable to identify her, and the case went cold.

The OPP renewed their efforts in 2017 by releasing a 3D clay facial reconstruction of the woman, who was described as white, between 25 to 50 years old, and between five-foot-two to five-foot-eight in height. It was determined that she was of average build, and approximately 100 pounds with brown hair dyed reddish blond.

 When found, her body was wrapped in green cloth, with her hands and feet bound with neckties. Additional items, including a piece of cleaning cloth, a black cable, and a curtain rod, were discovered with her body.

Doe Project

The breakthrough came when the DNA Doe Project (DDP), a non-profit organization that helps identify people in cold cases, was approached by the OPP in 2019. The DDP developed a DNA profile and uploaded it to genetic genealogy databases GEDmatch Pro and Family Tree DNA in 2020. 

By researching matches from these websites and conducting an extensive search of available historical records, the DDP's team of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists identified Langford as a likely candidate within weeks.

"We were incredibly lucky with a couple of elements in this case: we had matches that are fairly closely related to our Nation River Lady, and once we got close, we uncovered newspaper articles specifically mentioning Jewell Langford's disappearance," the DDP stated in their news release. "She was practically there waiting for us to find her."

Langford's mother reportedly searched for her daughter for years but died without knowing her fate. The identification in the Nation River Lady case is a testament to the power of modern forensic technology. There are obvious signs that Langford was murdered it is now possible that this cold case may truly be solved.