Off The Record

13-Year-Old Girl Who Disappeared 50 Years Ago Has Been Found

Published on March 30, 2025

The remains found in a riverbed in California have been definitely identified as those of a teenager who went missing 50 years ago.

Parts of a body were found in a riverbed in Watsonville, California, almost 30 years ago. The name of the victim is still unknown.

The Independent says that authorities were unable to figure out who the person was, but DNA testing at the time showed that they belonged to a woman.

But after many years, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with a forensic lab called Othram to do more tests on the remains.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office reported on Facebook that the body belonged to a 13-year-old girl who had been missing from New York in 1975.

The sheriff’s office said, “Laura O’Malley was last seen or heard from in New York in August 1975. Her family had not seen or heard from her since.”

“It is not known when, or under what circumstances, Laura O’Malley arrived in California.”

According to the post, the case was looked at again by officials in 2019 and a carbon dating test was done. The results showed that the teenager was born in 1960 and died “between 1977 and 1984.”

“From 2022 to 2023, our office used advanced genetic genealogy to find possible family members,” they said. This new lead eventually led to a big discovery. “Partnering with Othram, a leader in forensic DNA analysis, we were able to develop new investigative leads.”

The Sheriff’s Office said that the “circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation,” so it’s also not clear how she died. They were “deeply grateful” that the progress had given Laura’s family “long-awaited answers.”

Laura was last seen three years ago, in 1978. Three years later, the New York Daily Times wrote that she had two sisters and a brother.

The newspaper also says that she and her siblings moved out of their Long Island home because of a bad situation with their stepfather. The 13-year-old is said to have written a note to her mother saying she wouldn’t go back home if her stepfather was still there.

They did break up, but Laura’s family said she didn’t know this and was sure she’d come back home if she did.

“Anyone with information related to this case is urged to call our dispatch at 831-471-1121.” This is what the message from The Sheriff’s Office said.

A father of six named Alfred Swinscoe went to the Miners Arms bar in Nottinghamshire, UK, in January 1967 and was never seen or heard from again. This case was solved in the history of missing people cases.

Police found out that two people are accused of murder, but both of them have since died.

In April 2023, Alfred’s body parts were found.