By Alicia Victoria Lozano -
NBC News
The body of a teenage girl found dead outside of Las Vegas has gone unidentified for 41 years until DNA helped reveal her name last month.
The victim, who had been known only as Jane Arroyo Grande Doe, was recently identified as Tammy Terrell through genetic genealogy research, which uses DNA testing to trace relationships between people to determine a person's possible relatives. unidentified, Henderson police explained.
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Terrell, 17, was last seen on September 28, 1980 with two unidentified people at a restaurant in Roswell, New Mexico.
Law enforcement officials believe Terrell planned to head to California before she was killed.
His body was found a week later, on October 5, by a driver in the desert area near Arroyo Grande Boulevard and Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson, Nevada.
The Clark County Coroner's Office ruled her death a homicide.
Tammy Terrell, Henderson Police Department via AP
Henderson is a city outside of Las Vegas.
Previous attempts to identify Terrell's body were unsuccessful for decades.
Henderson police made a breakthrough in the unsolved case in early November after receiving positive confirmation of the teen's identity, law enforcement authorities explained in a statement.
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The investigation into his death is ongoing.
Earlier this week, Las Vegas police said DNA tests identified a man who they claimed sexually assaulted and murdered a 16-year-old girl in 1979.
