Remains identified as California woman who vanished in 1982

"Nearly four decades after a fragment of a human skull was found along a quiet stretch of Dry Creek outside Roseville in Placer County, investigators say they finally know the woman's name. The Placer County Sheriff's Office announced this week that the remains have been identified as Marjorie Linehan, a Sacramento County woman who vanished in the fall of 1982. Linehan was 49 when she was reported missing, and despite searches and interviews at the time, detectives were unable to determine what happened to her."

"The partial skull was found in February 1986 by a man cleaning out a creek on his property on Booth Road, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. No additional remains have ever been found. The skull fragment was recently submitted by the sheriff's cold case team to the state Department of Justice for advanced DNA testing. Analysts there confirmed a match to Linehan, finally giving her family some closure."

Marjorie Linehan was identified through advanced DNA testing from a partial skull fragment found in Placer County in 1986. Linehan, a Sacramento County resident, vanished in fall 1982 at age 49 and was reported missing after searches and interviews failed to determine her fate. The skull fragment was discovered along Dry Creek on Booth Road; no other remains were recovered. Because only part of the skull was recovered, officials cannot determine the cause of death. No evidence of foul play was noted at the time of disappearance. Family members described Linehan as a devoted mother, artist and enthusiastic skier.

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