ATLANTA (AP) Her identity remains a mystery, but fresh leads are being investigated in the case of a woman whose skull and bones were found last summer inside a suitcase along I-985 in Buford.
Authorities intend to check out a tip from a relative about a missing female from Chattanooga, Tennessee, said Ted Bailey, an investigator with the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office. He said they're also looking into information about a missing female from Virginia.
The new leads came in Wednesday, shortly after Gwinnett County police released a sketch of the woman. Her bones were discovered by a construction worker along Interstate 985 in July. She's believed to be in her 20s, police said.
``We're getting calls, not necessarily on a daily basis, but I got a call earlier today about a missing female out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, so we're going to be comparing dental records to determine if it could be our girl,'' Bailey said Wednesday.
``We're putting as much effort as possible into identifying her,'' he added.
The lead on the Virginia case came from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a U.S. Department of Justice program. It involves a nationwide database of missing persons and unidentified bodies. Much of the data is publicly available on a searchable website at https://namus.gov/
The website includes several details about the woman found off I-985.
The luggage that contained her remains was a black, full-size Quest suitcase. She was wearing a black Miley Cyrus hoodie, pink Nike tennis shoes and black Victoria's Secret pants with the words ``LOVE PINK'' in large letters down one leg.
Investigators estimate the woman died about six months before being found.
``We feel confident that a family somewhere is missing this young woman,'' Gwinnett County police said in a statement. ``By identifying her, we can try to bring closure to a family while trying to solve this crime.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/1/489811/one-day-after-releasing-sketch-gwinnett-investigators-get-new-lead-in-buford-remains-case