The body of a homicide victim found in a Charles County, Maryland, field in 1998 has now been identified as a woman from Southeast D.C., according to a news release.
LaQuanda Denise “Niecey” Williams of Southeast D.C. was 31 years old when her decomposing body was discovered in an overgrown Bel Alton field, near Irving Road and Route 301, by Charles County Sheriff’s Office investigators on June 18, 1998.
“Learning the identity of Jane Doe after 25 years is a testament to the relentless dedication of our investigators,” said Charles County Sheriff Troy D. Berry in a statement issued Friday.
Sheriff Berry said the identification of Williams is a “significant step forward in bringing answers to light and ensuring that she is no longer Jane Doe, but a person with a name and a story.”
Investigators in 1998 found Williams was not carrying identification, and without any matching fingerprints on file, the case went cold, as WTOP previously reported in 2018.
While investigators were unable to determine Williams’ identity at the time, they were able to determine her death was a homicide.
“Now, we have a name to work with in an attempt to identify the person responsible for her murder. We won’t give up in our pursuit for justice,” Sheriff Berry said in a news release.
While tips came in every year as a result of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s annual media push to identify the body, it said there wasn’t a breakthrough until news coverage last June by NBC Washington reporter Megan McGrath — which generated a lead.
The Sheriff’s office said a tip by a relative was received by forensic science investigators the night that the 2023 report was broadcast, and officials told Williams’ family that an unidentified body from 1998 was their loved one on Oct. 25, 2023.
The Sheriff’s office asks anyone with information regarding the homicide of LaQuanda Williams to contact Detective Shankster at 301-932-3037 or shanksterc@ccso.us. Anyone with information about any crime can reach Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS or submitting information online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com