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Human remains found decades ago have been identified as Donna Lass, a woman who went missing in the early 1970s. Due to the advancements in DNA technology the Lake Tahoe cold case, is being investigated with new evidence.

In 1986, authorities stumbled upon a skull off Highway 20 and Interstate 80 near Lake Tahoe, California. 

The Placer County Sheriff's Office reported that no additional evidence was found at the time, but the skull was preserved by the Placer County Coroner's Office. 

Decades later, a newly established cold case team took on the challenge of investigating unsolved missing persons and suspicious death cases.

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Missing Woman ID: Donna Lass

Donna Lass, a 25-year-old nurse, vanished from the South Lake Tahoe area in September 1970. There was no evidence of murder left behind. Her skull was not found until 15 years later. The case was cold from the start.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department said in a news release Wednesday that at the time, investigators had exhausted all leads surrounding the disappearance of Lass and the case remained unsolved.

Lass was a nurse at a casino in Stateline, Nevada, which is just northeast of South Lake Tahoe, when she vanished, according to 1970s newspaper clippings.

She was last seen on Sept. 7, 1970, walking with a young, blonde man near the apartment she had rented the day before, the newspaper reported. Lass left behind her new car, a large wardrobe and a bank account.

Despite the efforts by police and private investigators hired by Lass’s family, the case remained unsolved, and the whereabouts of Donna Lass remained a mystery for over four decades.

Lake Tahoe Cold Case

The Placer County Sheriff's Office cold case team sent the preserved skull out for DNA testing. 

The breakthrough in the cold case came when the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services successfully matched the DNA from the skull with a sample obtained from a member of Donna Lass's family. 

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department, responsible for the missing persons case, played a crucial role in obtaining the familial DNA. The match conclusively identified the skull as the remains of Donna Lass.

Following Donna Lass's disappearance, her family never gave up hope, hiring private detectives in an ongoing effort to locate her.

 The announcement of the DNA match brought a mix of emotions to the surviving family members. Authorities have notified the family, and investigators are actively working to reexamine the case. The sheriff's office expressed gratitude for the collaborative effort that led to the identification of the Lass family.

Donna Lass's disappearance, labeled as "suspicious" by detectives, continues to raise questions about the circumstances surrounding her death. 

Zodiac Killer Connection

While the identification brings a measure of closure, the details of how she died remain unclear. South Lake Tahoe Police spokesperson Stevenson mentioned that, even though it was a long time ago, families never forget, and the pain of the unknown is enduring.

Internet sleuths suggest a possible connection to the infamous Zodiac Killer. 

Known for cryptic messages and unsolved crimes in Northern California in the late 1960s, and early 1970s, the case of the Zodiac Killer has never been officially solved.

Some believed Lass might have been a victim of the serial killer due to a postcard sent to authorities and a Christmas card sent to Lass's sister after her disappearance. 

However, authorities have not linked Lass's death to the Zodiac Killer, and the case remains unsolved.

DNA Technology Cold Cases

The breakthrough in Donna Lass's case underscores the pivotal role of DNA technology in solving cold cases.

Investigative genetic genealogy, a technique that has gained prominence, involves using genetic information to identify and establish connections between suspects and victims. 

Law enforcement can enter DNA samples into a national database to find a match. One of the most famous cases cracked by the DNA profiling technique was that of the Golden State Killer, who was identified in 2018.

This year DNA has played an important role in an arrest in the case of the Long Island Gilgo Beach murders which took place from 1996 to 2011. 

An architect was charged after detectives matched his DNA from a discarded pizza box to a male hair found on one of the murder victims' remains.

The Lake Tahoe cold case is now an active investigation.

"As technology develops, investigators routinely revisit cases which were previously believed to have no leads," South Lake Tahoe Police announced.