55 years ago, Marlene Ashman's 18 year old sister Dorothy Howard disappeared.
Around the same time, the body of a murdered young woman was found in Boulder, Colorado.
The town of Boulder adopted the Jane Doe as their own, buying her a tombstone and a burial service.
For years the Howard family wondered what happened to their sister and daughter.
Internet research put them in contact with an investigator in Boulder, who requested a DNA sample from Dorothy's sister, Marlene. "I said sure to exclude her. I wanted to know that wasn't her," said Ashman.
But it was her. And in just a few weeks, the 55 year old cold case was solved.
But one mystery remains-who killed Dorothy Howard? "The detective told me this is not the end, this is the beginning. Because now they can investigate. Now that they know who she was, they will be taking up those trails," said Ashman.
Ashman and her family used the Jane Doe Network for clues that led to the identification of the Boulder Jane Doe.
And now Ashman says she wants others to know to not give up hope. "I wanted other people to know if this is possibly, they can find whoever they're looking for," she said.
Despite the years that passed, Marlene Ashman and her family never thought their sister was dead. "We both believed she was living the large life somewhere with somebody rich. I guess that's cause that's what you'd like to think," she said.
Around the same time, the body of a murdered young woman was found in Boulder, Colorado.
The town of Boulder adopted the Jane Doe as their own, buying her a tombstone and a burial service.
For years the Howard family wondered what happened to their sister and daughter.
Internet research put them in contact with an investigator in Boulder, who requested a DNA sample from Dorothy's sister, Marlene. "I said sure to exclude her. I wanted to know that wasn't her," said Ashman.
But it was her. And in just a few weeks, the 55 year old cold case was solved.
But one mystery remains-who killed Dorothy Howard? "The detective told me this is not the end, this is the beginning. Because now they can investigate. Now that they know who she was, they will be taking up those trails," said Ashman.
Ashman and her family used the Jane Doe Network for clues that led to the identification of the Boulder Jane Doe.
And now Ashman says she wants others to know to not give up hope. "I wanted other people to know if this is possibly, they can find whoever they're looking for," she said.
Despite the years that passed, Marlene Ashman and her family never thought their sister was dead. "We both believed she was living the large life somewhere with somebody rich. I guess that's cause that's what you'd like to think," she said.
