After 44 years, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has finally identified a homicide victim who was found near the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip in 1979.  Authorities made the announcement on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. 

The victim, previously known as “Sahara Sue Doe,” was identified as Gwenn Marie Story, a 19-year-old from Colerain Township, Ohio. The breakthrough came as a result of advancements in DNA testing technology, leading to her identification in a case that remained unsolved for over four decades.

A man walking through a vacant lot near the northern edge of the Las Vegas Strip discovered Story’s body in August of 1979. The lot was in the vicinity of where the Strat Hotel presently sits.

An autopsy concluded that her death was the result of a homicide, but her identity remained a mystery.

The identification of Story was made possible by Othram, a Texas-based laboratory specializing in forensic genealogy analysis. 

They constructed a comprehensive DNA profile for the victim, which led to the discovery of potential relatives. These relatives provided DNA samples, confirming the identity of Sahara Sue Doe as Gwenn Marie Story.

According to the LVMPD, Story had left her Cincinnati, Ohio, home in the summer of 1979. She was on a quest to find her biological father in California, accompanied by two male friends from the Cincinnati area. 

Story’s family lost contact with her, and when her companions returned to Ohio in August 1979, they told the family that they had left her behind in Las Vegas. 

This information has refocused the police investigation on these two individuals and their potential involvement in Story’s death.

In addition to the LVMPD, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also played a role in maintaining detailed records of the case, contributing to the eventual identification of Story. 

The LVMPD is continuing its investigation into Story’s death, focusing on the two men she was last seen with and any other leads that may emerge.