1980s Montana shooting victim identified through DNA
May 10, 2021
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MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) Officials in western Montana, working with a private DNA lab in Texas, have identified the victim of an early 1980s homicide and are now investigating to see if she may have died at the hands of a suspected serial killer, the Missoula County Sheriff s Office said Monday.
DNA obtained from the skeletonized remains, which were found in Missoula County in September 1985, was compared to commercial databases and was traced to the family of Janet Lee Lucas of Spokane, Washington. Lucas was 23 when she was last seen in Sandpoint, Idaho in the summer of 1983.
Christy Crystal Creek Identified Through DNA as Spokane Woman
The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release on Monday that a murder victim that had previously been identified as ‘Christy Crystal Creek’ due to the location where her skeletal remains were found, has been identified through her DNA.
Public Information Officer Jeannette Smith provided details on Monday morning.
“It s with both great pride and sadness that the Missoula County Sheriff s Office announces that after 36 years, we can now give a name to the unidentified remains previously known as Christy Crystal Creek,” said Smith. “The individuals name is Janet Lee Lucas. She was a 23 year old woman from Spokane, Washington.”