EL DORADO, Ark. — The story of 'El Dorado Jane Doe' is a case that's been actively investigated since 1991, when an 'unidentified' woman was murdered by her ex-boyfriend on July 10 on that year.
Now, nearly 31 years later and Arkansas investigators have officially closed Kelly's case-- identifying 'El Dorado Jane Doe' after years of DNA testing.
Investigators have identified the woman as Kelly, whose last name is being withheld out of privacy for the family. The confirmation of Kelly's identity comes after authorities, like former lead detective Cathy Phillips, continued to push the case throughout the years.
The discovery of Kelly's identity also comes after investigators Yolanda McClary, Jean Grier, and Michael Leclerc worked with Phillips to pull together and test pieces of DNA.
Kelly was born in 1968 and was originally born in Virginia before she moved to Little Rock in 1986 at the age of 18. She would spend roughly 3 years in the city, leaving in 1989.
Throughout the years, Kelly used a few fake names-- one of the most recognizable being Mercedes. Another one of the names being Cheryl Ann Wick that she used while working as a dancer at a club. These fake names would later cause complications in authorities figuring out her true identity after her death.
Kelly and her family also made a few moves over the following years, with their first move being to Florida in 1989. Kelly was proclaimed to have been close with her younger sister, who even briefly moved in with her during her stint in Florida.
From there, the two sisters went their separate ways and Kelly moved to Virginia in 1990, followed by Texas in 1991.
Later that year, Kelly eventually moved back to Arkansas in 1991, but this time to El Dorado.
This is where she spent the rest of her time until she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend on July 10.
Following Kelly's death in El Dorado in 1991, the family was left searching for answers for the next 30 years.