‘Lady of the Dunes’ murder victim’s identity revealed 48 years after death

Investigators revealed the identity of the Lady of the Dunes, the oldest unidentified homicide victim in Massachusetts. File photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI

Oct. 31 (UPI) — The victim in one of Massachusetts‘ oldest cold cases has finally been identified after 48 years.

The FBI revealed the identity of the Lady of the Dunes, a previously unidentified murder victim, to by Ruth Marie Terry, formerly of Tennessee.

Terry was 37 years old when her body was found in the dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore in Provincetown, Mass.

The manner of Terry’s death was called “brutal” by investigators, ruled as the result of a blow to the head which was believed to have occurred weeks before her body was discovered.

She was found on July 26, 1974, with her hands removed and her head nearly severed from her body. Investigators believe her hands were removed to prevent her from being identified by fingerprints.

The Lady of the Dunes killer was never found, but FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said he hopes this latest development will help bring more awareness to the case, and possibly more information.

“As investigators, cases like this one haunt us, and the agencies represented here today are constantly re-evaluating and coming up with new investigative strategies to try and advance them,” Bonavolonta said during a press conference Monday.

“We also realize that while we have identified Ruth as the victim of this horrific murder, it does not ease the pain for her family-nothing can-but hopefully it answers some questions while we continue to look for her killer.”

Investigative genealogy was used to uncover Terry’s identity. This process uses a combination of DNA analysis and genealogy research such as tracking historical records. It is often used to find new leads in unsolved crimes.

Through investigative genealogy, it was found Terry had connections to Michigan, California and Massachusetts, in addition to Tennessee.

Terry’s family was contacted before the release of her name. The FBI issued a “seeking information” poster to solicit information from the public.

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