ALBUQUERQUE – Through the use of Investigative Genetic Genealogy, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) in partnership with the FBI has identified two women whose remains were found in 1994 and 2013.
On January 24, 1994, the skeletal remains of a woman were discovered along Interstate 40 by crews cleaning up the roadside. In addition to a woman’s skull, an upper denture and other pieces of bone were collected. A distinctive piece of clothing, a sweater found near the remains, led to her being referred to as “Jane Doe Sweater.”
Through investigation, it was determined that the remains belonged to a Hispanic female between 30 to 40 years old. The autopsy indicated she had suffered blunt trauma to the face. At the time of locating “Jane Doe Sweater,” it was suspected that the remains had been there for about a year.
In 2006, DNA analysis was completed and the female’s DNA profile from the remains was entered into CODIS but no matches were ever found. Additionally, a clay reconstruction was made of the woman’s face along with artist renderings of the reconstruction. In 2022, a Crime Stoppers bulletin was issued in an attempt to get tips about the woman’s identity. Then, in August of 2022, grant funding was approved to conduct additional DNA testing to try and locate “Jane Doe Sweater’s” family.
In April 2023, after APD’s Cold Case Unit and FBI investigators built a family tree and located possible relatives living in Albuquerque, further investigation confirmed through DNA collected that the woman found near the sweater in 1994 was Carmela Vivian Duran.
Family members stated they had lost touch with Duran up until the late 1980s and thought she had moved away. Having not heard from her for some time, they believed she might have passed away and never reported her missing.
In January of 2013, a man walking in an empty field found human bones near Broadway Boulevard SE and Murray Road SE. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office responded and identified the remains as human, found in a shallow grave. Given some similarities to bodies found in 2009 on Albuquerque's west mesa, APD assisted in additional searches with cadaver dogs and investigative support.
In September 2013, more remains were found nearby and were determined to have come from the same woman. Forensic anthropologists learned that she was a white female between 40 to 60 years old.
In June 2022, APD Cold Case and FBI investigators with grant funding completed additional DNA testing and analysis on these remains to help identify relatives. In September of 2023, both agencies located family members in Albuquerque who assisted in identifying the woman as Terry Matthews, aged 54.
Terry got married in February of 2006 and was last seen that same summer. She was never reported missing; her case has since been handed back over to BCSO.
“We never stop fighting for victims even after years have passed," said Chief Harold Medina. "This work shows our investigators' diligence to keep trying until all avenues have been exhausted.” He added: “I hope identifying these women brings closure to their families and those who wondered where they were for years."
"This work reflects our agents' persistence alongside our partners," said FBI Albuquerque Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda. "We continue searching for answers about who is responsible for their deaths as our commitment to seeking justice for victims never wavers."
Any information on Carmela Vivian Duran's case from 1994 or Terry Matthews' case from 2013 can be submitted anonymously to Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers at (505)-843-STOP or p3tips.com/531.
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