genetic genealogy leads to intruder theory in The Unsolved Murder of JonBenet Ramsey

how she was identified

Det. Lori Howard continued the investigation in 2009 to create an image of “Grace”. Recruiting the help of a facial reconstruction expert and FBI instructor they created a likeness. Det. Howard was told only by the “Grace of God” one could find out who she was. After that the name “Grace” stuck.

Sheriff’s over the past 30 years have worked on the case; Schlessman, Evenson, and Hall.

From 1990 to 2020, the MCSO fielded calls from people from coast to coast regarding who “Grace” might be. The Sheriff’s Office followed up on all leads using dental records and limited DNA to investigate possible matches.


Othram and Sheriff Hall decided to use advanced DNA testing to identify “Grace”. Othram was sent skeletal remains and they extracted DNA and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a DNA profile that could be used to find distant relatives.

To raise funding for the case the website DNASolves.com was utilized.

Lt. Hall contacted a person on the genealogical tree provided by Othram Inc. Ms. Danielle Pixler stated she had a half-sister, Shawna Garber, that had been in foster care in Garnett, Kansas and then went back into state care. Danielle did not know what happened with Shawna after she left foster care. Danielle stated that she had been looking for Shawna for over 28 years.