LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. (WFLA) — For more than four decades, a woman who was killed in Palm Beach County, Florida, remained known only as the “Jeweled Mom.”
But that changed on Monday after DNA testing revealed her identity. The victim was identified as 37-year-old Leona Jean Keller, according to Othram, Inc., a company specializing in forensic genetic genealogy.
“This is the 36th case in Florida where officials have publicly identified a person using DNA
technology developed by Othram,” said Colby Lasyone, Chief of Staff at Othram. “Using these
advanced tools, we expect to be able to continue to help to solve cases and get resolution for
even more victims and their families.”
A real estate agent came across Keller’s remains in 1982 while assessing land in Loxahatchee, a community in Palm Beach County north of Miami.
At the time, investigators were able to establish that the victim was a middle-aged woman and that she had been shot in the head. She was wearing five pieces of jewelry: a gold necklace, watch, and three rings — one of which was a diamond ring with a 14K white gold setting.
Detectives ruled her death a homicide. But, despite their best efforts, authorities said they were unable to determine her identity.
A traditional DNA profile was developed during the initial investigation and entered into a national DNA database, but officials said there was no match.
The woman eventually became known as the “Jeweled Mom” due to the pieces of high-end jewelry she was wearing and the belief that she had given birth to two or more children.
Decades passed with no answers. Then in 2021, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help them uncover the woman’s name.
Scientists at Othram’s lab in Texas were able to generate new leads about the woman’s identity, prompting investigators to launch a follow-up investigation in which they eventually tracked down some of her potential relatives.
A reference DNA sample collected from one of her potential relatives turned out to be a match, finally leading to Kellers’ identification, scientists explained.