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New technology helps solve 30-year-old cold case
DeKalb County's District Attorney says they've identified a woman found dead in Tucker in 1993. New technology helped investigators crack the case.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - After decades of searching for answers, DeKalb County police have made a breakthrough in the mystery of a once-unidentified female found dead in Tucker.
The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office says the remains of the woman, who was found in 1993, have finally been identified as 52-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Burke of Cobb County.
According to officials, Burke's body was found on Sept. 17, 1993, in the woods near what was then Quality Inn off of Northlake Parkway on the west side of Interstate 285. The body was discovered behind an electrical unit covered in pine straw and branches in what DeKalb County District Attorney Sherri Boston said seemed to be "deliberate."
Investigators say the woman was wearing a black T-shirt with the phrase "Waikoloa" written in multicolored letters, blue jeans, and size-8 white leather athletics shoes. She did not have any undergarments on and no jewelry.
An examination of the body led officials to discover that she had extensive dental work including multiple crowns and had undergone a full left hip replacement.
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DeKalb County cold case press conference
The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office held a press conference on March 22, 2023, announcing a major break in a cold case murder in Tucker from 1993.
The body had damage to her face and neck. Investigators believe she had died due to blunt force trauma and killed sometime between two weeks and three months before she was found.
Last year, police shared artist renderings of the woman, hoping for answers as to who she could be. Five months later, they say they've determined her identity thanks in part to using forensic genetic genealogy technology linking the body to one of Burke's family members.
"We can finally put a name and a face to this rendering," Boston said,
Police released two artist renderings of the woman whose body was found in Tucker in 1993. (DeKalb County District Attorney)
While Burke has now been identified, Boston says law enforcement are not stopping in their search to find anyone connected to the woman's death.
The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office is the only one in the country to receive a $500,000 grant to help identify unidentified people.
Officials asking anyone who knew Burke, interacted with her in the summer or fall of 1993, or was familiar with the area she was found in to call their Cold Case tip line 404-371-2444.