ORLANDO, Fla. — Nearly 40 years later, investigators say they have found new hope in an unsolved murder case in Orange County. 

Detectives with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit say new forensic genetic genealogy technology has provided clues in the case of a woman found shot to death tied up and dumped in east Orange County in 1984. 

Her body was found in the area of Frank and Liberty streets just off of Colonial Drive, west of Bithlo.

A new sketch of the victim has also led to developments in the case. By using Jane Doe’s remains, forensic scientists came up with a sketch of what she may have looked like. Scientists are using those same remains to process DNA they hope will help track down the victim's family members.

University of South Florida anthropologist Dr. Erin Kimmerle and her team use skeletons donated for research to help identify crime victims by creating sketches.

“We try to make it  accurate — including as much from the initial crime scene investigation, autopsy report, anything," Kimmerle said. 

One of her team's most recent projects has been helping the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit crack the 38-year-old murder, starting with the victim's identity. 

“They sent us her skeletal remains — the skull in order to do a facial reconstruction, and so that is what I was able to do, provide a face that is based on her individual characteristics, based on what we think her age was," Kimmerle said. 

One of only about dozen unidentified murder victims in Orange County, she is simply known as Jane Doe 1984. Along with developing a sketch of the woman, Kimmerle and her team at USF also recreated evidence found at the scene of the crime using a shirt, jacket and jeans she was wearing at the time of her death.

Detective Dave Nutting is currently working the case. He said a teenager found Jane Doe in a wooded area off Frank and Liberty streets in east Orange County in November of 1984. 

“She had been shot and bound and dumped in that area," Nutting said. "The detectives worked tirelessly back in 1984 to attempt to identify her without success.”

Unable to even identify Jane Doe, the case went cold. But 40 years later, detectives are now trying a new method to solve the case. 

“We are trying to identify her through forensic genetic genealogy," Nutting said. "The medical examiner sent the remains to DNA Labs international, DNA Labs international was able to extract DNA material from the victim’s bones."

And from there, scientists were able to use DNA databases to try and track down prospective family members.

Nutting said his unit has been working the case for the last three years, even traveling out of state to find any ancestors or relatives of Jane Doe.

“They identified some very distant relatives of our victim, and from there we are trying to build a family tree of who may be the siblings, mother, father, maybe even children of this person," Nutting said. 

“Let me think — this picture had to be (19)86, that’s when this picture was taken in 86," said Bridget Turner, one of the relatives identified by investigators.

Detectives believe the father and daughter shown in the photo they may be Jane Doe's relatives, so they tracked them down and found Turner, who lives in the Orlando area.

“They came, knocked on the door — two detectives with badges and guns and my husband was here and I wasn’t," she said. "I was a ways from here. He called me and said, 'Come home, you better get home now, there are some detectives here and they want to talk to you.' And the first thought I had was, 'Oh my God, what did I do?'" 

Turner said that once she got home, the detectives told her that through DNA evidence and forensic genetic genealogy, they linked a 1984 murder victim to her family on her father’s side. They showed her the sketch of Jane Doe, and while she couldn't identify her, she saw familiar features in the likeness.

“She has features of us, the Pittman family — I see features," Turner said. "I have called them, my cousins, and they don’t remember anybody being missing." 

Detectives are now testing Turner's DNA.

Her father — who died in 1995 — is Originally from New Jersey

Detectives have also been in contact with possible family members there, and they, like Turner, are eager to uncover the truth.

“I’m hoping we could put a name with the face — that we can find out who she is and what happened to her," Turner said. "That makes my heart hurt for her, because no one should have to endure that.”

Investigators say it all comes down to science, DNA evidence and family member connections. Kimmerle and Orange County detectives say they are hopeful that Jane Doe’s real name will be discovered soon.

“Really, at its core, it’s about helping families of missing persons, unidentified remains, open homicides get access to the justice system,” Kimmerle said.

Detectives say they are still making their way through potential family members in hopes of finding a close next of kin.

Anyone with information on the identity of Jane Doe 1984, or the circumstances surrounding her death, are asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.