Jane Doe of Erie County (1988) is now identified

Summary

In March 1989, the remains of an unidentified individual were discovered at Kensington Avenue and Pauline Place in Buffalo, New York. Buffalo is located in western New York State, on the eastern edge of Lake Erie. The Buffalo Police Department responded to the scene. The remains were determined to be those of a female, who was likely of Native American or Hispanic descent. The woman was between 20 and 25 years old, 5’11” tall, and weighed 100 pounds. At the time of the woman’s discovery, she was wearing a “Coqui” brand tracksuit with blue pants and a blue and gray striped long-sleeved top labeled “zipcode.” Under the pants was a pair of medium-sized white thermal underwear.

In July 2014, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) under the case number UP12703. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement investigators to identify the woman, no matches were found and the case fell into disuse due to a lack of viable leads.

In 2022, the Buffalo Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to create a complete DNA profile of the woman. Once the process was successfully completed, the DNA profile was turned over to the FBI’s Forensic Genetic Genealogy Team, who performed the necessary work to generate new investigative leads in the case.

With this new information, further investigation was conducted, leading investigators to identify potential relatives of the woman. This investigation positively identified the woman as Sonya Yvette Archie. Sonya was last seen in September 1988 and was subsequently reported missing. If you have any information about Sonya Yvette Archie, please contact the Buffalo Police Department Homicide and Cold Case Unit at