Cobb County Cold Case Detectives Identify 1984 Homicide Victim
Cobb County Police Cold Case Detectives have identified the victim in a decades-old homicide near the Chattahoochee River as 20-year-old Veronica Jane Miller of Mableton.
In May 1984, the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman were discovered in a wooded area near the Chattahoochee River in southwest Cobb County. A man walking near the edge of his property found the remains, prompting an extensive search by law enforcement agencies for evidence. Investigators determined the remains belonged to a partially clothed adult woman with brown hair.
The Cobb County Medical Examiner concluded the woman was between 18 and 25 years old, stood between 5’0” and 5’4” tall, and weighed 105 to 115 pounds. Evidence showed she had undergone reconstructive surgery on the right side of her face and had metal pins in her left ankle. Officials estimated she had been deceased at least three months before being found.
At the scene, investigators found several distinctive items: a synthetic auburn wig, a ruffled western-style blouse, a light blue t-shirt with a Playboy bunny logo, blue jeans, a single striped knee-high sock, and two size 8 western-style boots, one with a metal plate inside. Also recovered were a men’s brown “Rich’s” brand corduroy coat, a work shirt with the embroidered name patch “George” and the company name “Doug Hyde Unlimited,” as well as a pack of Camel Light cigarettes and a small manila envelope containing two hand-rolled butts. No jewelry or personal identification was found.
In 2011, investigators developed a DNA profile and entered it into CODIS, but no matches were returned. A facial reconstruction was also created and distributed to media. Despite these efforts, the woman became known only as Cobb County Jane Doe (1984), and her case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP10724.
In 2022, a breakthrough came when the Cobb County Medical Examiner, the Cobb County Police Department, and the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council submitted forensic evidence to Othram Labs in Texas for advanced DNA testing. Scientists there developed a comprehensive DNA profile using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® and began forensic genetic genealogy research. This led to potential relatives, and with confirmatory DNA testing, detectives were able to positively identify the victim as Veronica Jane Miller, born November 10, 1963.
The Cobb County Medical Examiner has now ruled Miller’s death a homicide. Her family has been notified.
The case remains under active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Cobb County Police Major Crimes Unit at (770) 499-3945.
