Victim in 1971 Cold Case Identified With DNA Mohave County Sheriff Office Says

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (702 Times, NV Globe) – The body of a lady, recovered inside a bag in the desert years ago, has been recognized by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit as having been killed.

On January 23, 1971, the victim was discovered in the desert on Hackberry Road, two miles east of Highway 93.

She was discovered inside a canvas sack that had been tied shut. The SIU team contacted an artist from the Museum of Northern Arizona, who created a drawing of the victim based on the characteristics of her skull. If anybody recognized the individual in the drawing or photo, they were asked to call the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office SIU Division.

In 2022, MCSO Cold Case investigators collaborated with Texas-based Othram Inc. to see if DNA testing and Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing may aid in the identification of Colleen Audrey Rice, after MCSO solicited the public for assistance once more.

In barely five days, online community financing attracted enough support. Following an examination into her family tree, DNA testing of a relative corroborated the findings.

Rice was born on March 17, 1931 in Portsmouth, Ohio, to James Rice and Flossie Truitt.

Rice graduated from Portsmouth High School and married William Davis in 1946. She was separated from her family, and nothing is known about her life or how she arrived to Arizona. It is unknown if she had children.

The inquiry into the person(s) responsible for her death is underway. The MCSO continues to request the public’s aid in giving any information they may have about the victim’s later years.

Anyone with information on Colleen Rice or the event is requested to call the sheriff’s office SIU at 928-753-0753 ext. 4408 or 1-800-522-4312 and reference DR# 71-0383.

Credits: FOX 5 VEGAS