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(CNN) --
A woman found dead on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1974 has been identified nearly 50 years later using "investigative genealogy," FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta announced Monday.
Previously nicknamed the "Lady of the Dunes" because she was found in the sand dunes in Provincetown, authorities identified her as 37-year-old Ruth Marie Terry.
Before her identification, she was the oldest unidentified homicide victim in the state of Massachusetts, Bonavolonta said.
Massachusetts Assistant United States Attorney Josh Levy called Monday's announcement a "result of tireless and exceptional police and law enforcement work."
For the first time, they use genealogy technology to identify both the killer and his victim in a case that has been unsolved for more than 30 years.
Law enforcement's use of investigative genealogy combines the use of DNA analysis with "traditional genealogical research and historical records to generate investigative leads of unsolved violent crimes," Bonavolonta said.
Terry was found on July 26, 1974. Her cause of death was determined at the time as a blow to the head, several weeks earlier, Bonavolonta said.
Her hands were missing from her body and her head was "almost severed," she added.
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The FBI Boston Field Office said in a news release that Terry's hands were "allegedly removed by the killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints."
Bonavolonta, who was joined at a news conference by representatives of the Massachusetts State Police, Provincetown Police, the Massachusetts United States Attorney's Office and the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office, also said his investigation is now will focus on finding Terry's killer.
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"We are determined and will be persistent in our pursuit of justice for the victims and their families," Bonavolonta said.
Bonavolonta added that Terry was born in Tennessee in 1936 and had ties to California, Massachusetts and Michigan.
She was a daughter, sister, aunt, wife and mother.
Terry's family members were notified of her identification just hours before Monday's news conference, she said.
“If Ruth Marie hadn't met her assailant in 1974, she might be 86 today.
If the person responsible for the crime was between 20 and 30 years old, she would be between 60 and 70 years old.
If she were any older, she might as well be dead.
But we will assume that she is not.
And we will follow every lead to bring this individual to justice,” Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe said.
CNN's Taliah Miller contributed to this report
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