After 25 years, a Charles County homicide victim was identified.
In 1998, an unidentified woman was found deceased, lying in a field near Irving Road and Route 301 in Bel Alton.
She was the apparent victim of a homicide, and the traditional ways of attempting to identify her led nowhere, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives worked with numerous law enforcement agencies and local and regional news covered the story, but Jane Doe’s identity remained an enigma.
Since the time she was discovered, investigators and the local sheriff’s office’s forensic science section continued to attempt to identify the woman through various means, including more notable measures such as facial reconstruction and updated fingerprint identification.
As part of their effort to identify Jane Doe, every year on the anniversary of her discovery, the story was promoted through traditional media and social media. Tips came in, but any potential match was eliminated through DNA.
On June 18, 2023, the 25th anniversary of the date Jane Doe was discovered, reporter Megan McGrath from NBC News 4 Washington met with detectives and members of the sheriff’s office’s forensic science section to air another story, providing as many facts as could be released.
That news coverage generated a lead.
On the same night the story aired, Deputy Director Noelle Gehrman of the forensic science section received a tip from a family member of the victim indicating they had just watched the story on television and that Jane Doe might be their relative.
“We have received tips in the past and had our hopes up, but DNA ruled those potential relatives out,” Gehrman said. “But when this tip came in, everything the caller conveyed just fit. I felt we now had a direction to move forward and a solid lead to pursue.”
The family member sent photos of their relative to investigators who immediately noted a similarity in the sketch used to try to identify Jane Doe in 1998. Through further investigation, detectives located potential siblings of Jane Doe and, in 2023, one of her siblings provided a DNA sample for comparison.
On Oct. 12, 2023, the DNA analysis report from Bode Technology confirmed that Jane Doe’s mtDNA profile could not be eliminated from her sibling’s profile, meaning she was related to the sibling.
On Oct. 25, 2023, officials met with the victim’s family and confirmed Jane Doe’s identity — LaQuanda Denise “Niecey” Williams, who was 31 years old when her body was discovered.
Williams’ last residence was in southeast Washington, D.C.
“Learning the identity of Jane Doe after 25 years is a testament to the relentless dedication of our investigators. Today, we take a significant step forward in bringing answers to light and ensuring that she is no longer Jane Doe, but a person with a name and a story,” Sheriff Troy D. Berry (D) said. “Now, we have a name to work with in an attempt to identify the person responsible for her murder. We won’t give up in our pursuit for justice.”
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