Authorities have confirmed that human remains discovered over three years ago in Los Lunas, New Mexico, belong to 56-year-old Lisa Marie Vernon of Albuquerque.
Earlier this month, the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO) announced the identification, crediting the breakthrough to a collaboration with the DNA Doe Project — a nonprofit that uses genetic genealogy to help identify unknown individuals.
“With Ms. Vernon’s identity confirmed, investigators were able to piece together the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death,” the VCSO said in a statement. “No evidence of foul play has been discovered, and the case has been formally closed as a non-criminal death investigation.”
Deputies were first called to a property on the 1700 block of Rio Communities Boulevard in Los Lunas on July 16, 2022, after receiving reports of human remains found beneath a tree.
According to the DNA Doe Project, a backpack was discovered near the remains containing clothes, a water bottle, and a diary — though the diary offered no clues that aided identification. At the time, the woman was temporarily referred to as “Los Lunas Jane Doe.”
Traditional identification methods initially failed, leading investigators to contact the DNA Doe Project in 2023 to create a DNA profile.
By May 2024, the organization provided genealogical data pointing to Lisa Marie Vernon, who had last been seen on June 4, 2022.
“It didn’t take us long to figure out that Los Lunas Jane Doe had connections to both Illinois and Tennessee,” said Lisa Ivany of the DNA Doe Project. “However, we could also tell that she likely had recent ancestors from outside the U.S., especially as a number of her DNA matches were from Europe.”
Working with the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI), the VCSO contacted Vernon’s relatives and obtained DNA samples that confirmed her identity.
“Investigative genetic genealogy is a powerful tool,” said Emily Bill with the DNA Doe Project. “Even though the DNA matches we had were from elsewhere, our research led us all the way to New Mexico and then to Lisa herself.”
Valencia County Sheriff Denise Vigil expressed gratitude to everyone involved. “Their dedication to giving back names to the unidentified has brought long-awaited answers to a grieving family and helped bring closure to the case,” she said.
