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Genetic Genealogy Used To Identify Pamela Buckley As Victim In 1970 Shooting

(CBS4) -- A Colorado Springs woman is one of two people who were identified as victims in a 44-year-old cold case out of South Carolina.

Pamela Buckley (Sumter Co Sheriff's Office)
Pamela Buckley (credit: Sumter County Sheriff's Office)

On Aug. 9, 1976, a truck driver discovered the bodies in Lynchburg, just off of Interstate 95. According to The State, both victims were shot in the back of the head. No one knew who the victims were.

In 2007, the bodies were exhumed and DNA samples were taken. Even so, they remained unidentified for years.

According to The State, in 2019, a Clemson resident who had spent years looking into the case, suggested that investigators reach out to DNA Doe Project, an organizations that uses genetic genealogy to identify John and Jane Does.

"Now those efforts have produced a match, ending the 44-year-old mystery," The State reported.

The victims were identified at 25-year-old Pamela Buckley, who was reported missing from Colorado Spring, and 30-year-old James Freund from Pennsylvania. both were last seen in December 1975.

James Freund (Sumter Co Sheriff's Office)
James Freund (credit: Sumter County Sheriff's Office)

Police have re-opened the case -- and are still looking for their killer.

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