Marlene Standridge disappeared in the early 1970’s, leaving her family no idea where she had gone or what had happened to her. In 1982, human remains were discovered in the woods in unincorporated Stone Mountain, Georgia. Authorities believed the remains had been in the woods for 6-10 years, but were unable to identify who the victim was for nearly 40 years.
In March 2021, after exhausting all available leads, Detective Dorminy in the Gwinnett Homicide Unit shipped the unidentified victim’s skull to Othram to have them generate a DNA profile. Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive genealogy profile from the aged and degraded skeletal remains of the unidentified victim. The Othram genealogy team then returned investigative leads back to Detective Dorminy, which enabled him to connect the unidentified victim to a candidate daughter, Janis Adams. Detective Dorminy contacted Janis Adams who identified her mother as Marlene Standridge. On August 25, 2021 Janis Adams, her friend Jody Mallonee, her cousin Chamberlain Standridge, and her uncle Stanley Standridge (Marlene’s brother) came to Gwinnett Police Headquarters to speak with Detective Dorminy. At that meeting, a DNA sample was obtained from Janis Adams to confirm the DNA results were a match.
In September, Othram used KinSNP rapid familial testing to confirm that Janis Adams was in fact, a parent-child relationship match to Marlene Standridge. Decades after the inital discovery of the remains, Gwinnett Homicide Detectives continue to look for innovative technologies and new information to assist them in cases to help bring closure to victim’s families who have spent decades not knowing what happened to their loved ones. Othram was honored to assist in the investigation and is grateful to be able to help return answers to the family.
If anyone has any information to share in this case, or knew Marlene Standridge please contact GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
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