California teen girl found buried in vineyard identified after 48 years

For nearly half a century, the teenage girl buried in a shallow Kern County grave was known only as Jane Doe. On Tuesday, authorities restored her name: Michelle Louise Collier, a 15-year-old from Fresno who disappeared in February 1978.

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On June 21, 1978, a tractor operator cultivating a grape vineyard near South Wheeler Ridge Road outside Arvin uncovered skeletal remains. An autopsy could not establish how the girl died, but her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators collected fingerprints and dental X-rays, but neither produced a match. With no name, detectives had nowhere to begin. 

“Without her identity, there were no leads, no suspects and no arrests,” Kern County sheriff’s homicide detective Ashley Thompson said at a news conference Tuesday.

Collier’s older sister, Cynthia Dunbar, appeared alongside other family members at the announcement. Their 85-year-old mother, Maria, was too unwell to attend.

“She disappeared 48 years ago, and it was only recently that we knew where she was,” Dunbar said. “At least with this information, my family has some closure.”

The unidentified girl was buried at Arvin Cemetery in November 1978. In 2007, after coroner’s personnel discovered that no DNA had been collected during the original investigation, her remains were exhumed and a specimen was sent to the California Department of Justice but yielded no match.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children joined the effort in 2015, producing a facial reconstruction of the girl, local news station KBAK-TV reported. But the decisive break came a decade later, when investigators submitted her DNA for forensic investigative genetic genealogy, a technique that combines DNA analysis with traditional family tree research.

Othram, a private forensic laboratory, developed a DNA profile and identified possible relatives. Detectives then approached Collier’s family and asked Maria to provide a DNA sample. A comparison received in October confirmed that the unidentified girl was her daughter. 

Detectives “were extremely caring when they came to us and requested our mother’s DNA to confirm the remains found buried in a shallow grave in a vineyard were, in fact, Shelley’s remains,” Dunbar said, using her sister’s nickname. The location where the remains were found, in Arvin, is around 130 miles south of Fresno. It’s unclear if Collier was reported missing at the time of her disappearance. 

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Collier’s remains were disinterred again in April and released to her siblings in July, allowing the family to bring her home for a proper burial. The identification has also allowed detectives to begin investigating Collier’s life and disappearance. Thompson said authorities have a list of potential suspects but declined to disclose further details.

“Identifying Michelle is an important step, but the circumstances surrounding her death remains unknown,” Thompson said.

Addressing her sister’s killer through tears, Dunbar said the discovery devastated the family, particularly their mother.

“Your cowardice act affected our entire family, but make no mistake, law enforcement will find you and hold you accountable,” Dunbar said. “Whether you are already incarcerated or dead, you will be found. May God bless your soul because you are going to hell, if you’re not there already.”

She then spoke directly to the sister her family has spent 48 years trying to find.

“You didn’t deserve to die this way, Shelley,” Dunbar said. “Barely 15 years old. Still a child, with your whole life ahead of you. I’m sorry that we didn’t protect you, but you’re with Daddy now in heaven, just as you always wanted. We love you, Shelley.”

Anyone with information can contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at 661-861-3110.