Victim Identified In 30-Year-Old Westchester Homicide Case

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A Jane Doe found dead on a Mount Vernon street more than three decades ago finally has a name.

America's obsession with genealogy testing kits may have helped to identify the homicide victim in this cold case. Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said the use of DNA testing and investigative genealogy helped to identify the victim, formerly known as “Jane Doe Mount Vernon,” as Veronica Wiederhold.

Rocah announced that her newly created Cold Case Bureau, in partnership with the FBI, Mount Vernon Police Department and the Westchester Department of Laboratories and Research, successfully identified a woman who was found dead in Mount Vernon on Valentine's Day more than 30 years ago.

Wiederhold was found dead and nude on the street by Mount Vernon Police on February 14, 1988, at around 11:54 a.m. near Carleton Ave. in Mount Vernon.

“The remarkable work by our Cold Case Bureau and law enforcement partners has granted one family the certainty and ability to mourn for their loved one after 33 years," DA Rocah said. "A main goal of this Bureau is to give closure to families of homicide victims, and we know this is pain that never goes away. I know firsthand that solving crimes is one of the best ways we can try to get closure to victims’ families.”

Wiederhold was last seen by her family in late 1987. She has family in New York City and out-of-state who have been told of the Cold Case Bureau’s identification.

The Cold Case Bureau is led by Assistant District Attorney Laura Murphy, who is assisted by Chief Investigator Daniel McKenna. The pair work with investigators in the District Attorney’s Office, the FBI Task Force, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety and law enforcement from across the county.

"There has been a lot of speculation over the years about the identity of this victim," Murphy said. "We now know who she is: Veronica Wiederhold. This is why we continue working on these cases and never give up seeking justice for these victims."

The Mount Vernon Police Department never gave up trying to identify the victim using new forensic science at every opportunity. The use of advanced genetic genealogy through the FBI created a break in the case. When the Westchester Forensic Lab determined it had sufficient DNA from the victim, the FBI’s genetic genealogy unit was able to connect it to possible relatives who had submitted their DNA to a genealogy website.

Family members then provided DNA samples to the FBI, which helped with the investigation.

The DNA match positively identified Wiederhold and a final identification was made in April.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Westchester District Attorney’s Office at 914-995-TIPS.