Coroner able to identify murder victim in 1976 Grundy County cold case

SENECA (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - An Illinois cold case victim has been identified decades after her murder.

The victim was found murdered on the side of a rural road in Grundy County in 1976. She's since been identified as JoAnne "Vicki" Smith, who was only 20-years-old when she died.

“We will always believe, and we will believe whoever perpetrated this crime against her, if they are alive, they will be brought to justice,” said Vicki’s brother, Ronnie Smith.

On Oct. 2, 1976, a local farmer discovered the body of an African American woman alongside rural U.S. Route 6 in unincorporated Seneca.

The Grundy County Coroner's Office said she died from a gunshot wound in the head. The victim was buried in an unmarked grave at the Braceville-Gardner Cemetery on Thanksgiving Day of 1976.

The case remained cold for years and was reopened in late 2017, when investigators started using modern-day forensic science and DNA techniques to identify the victim.

Grundy County Coroner Deputy Chief Brandon Johnson said Smith was adopted, and her name changed several times, making the process of identifying her harder.

The victim's genetic profile eventually led investigators to the Smith family, originally from Ohio. No arrests have been made in Smith's murder.

“While I would love to see justice served for this heinous crime, I find comfort in the ability to return Vicki’s name to her,” Johnson said.

Smith's remains will be interred with her deceased parents in an upcoming ceremony.

WBBM's Carolina Garibay contributed to his report.

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