She Was Unidentified for Nearly 30 Years. Now, Jane Doe Has a Name — and Police Say She Was Murdered

A Washington woman’s remains have been identified after almost 30 years as a Jane Doe — and now detectives are looking for who killed her. 

Skeletal remains were found in October 1997 by a person walking through the woods in Pierce County, Wash., about 45 minutes from Seattle, but police could never figure out who she was.

Now, DNA testing performed by forensic genetics testing firm Othram Labs has helped law enforcement identify Jane Doe as Laurie Krage, who would be 65 years old today. 

Krage was found wearing a dark blue long-sleeved sweatshirt with a Pacific Lutheran University logo, baby blue jeans and size four Reebok tennis shoes with yellow and green trim, according to a statement from Othram Labs.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

By 2009, Krage’s case turned cold and she became known as Pierce County Jane Doe, investigators said. Her case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System until her DNA was given to the lab in October 2023. 

Krage’s death is now being investigated as a homicide, according to a news release from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives are seeking information about what happened to Krage between 1995 to 1997. Krage often traveled throughout Pierce County.

Investigators say Krage was last known to be alive in January 1996. At the time, she was married to her husband, Ronald Martin, who died in 2020 due to natural causes. 

Anyone with information about Krage and her late husband’s whereabouts between 1995 and 1997 has been asked to come forward, the sheriff’s office said.