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Arkansas woman identified as 'Buckskin Girl' killed 36 years ago in Ohio

On Wednesday, authorities finally identified a woman known as the "Buckskin Girl" who was killed in Ohio 36 years ago.

On Wednesday, authorities finally identified a woman known as the "Buckskin Girl" who was killed in Ohio 36 years ago.

The Miami County Sheriff's Office identified the woman as Arkansan Marcia L. King in a press release. King was 21 years old at the time of the murder. King was wearing a fringed buckskin jacket when she was killed and was given the name of "Buckskin Girl".

In the press release, the original autopsy concluded she was killed by "strangulation and blunt force trauma."

In 1981, detectives were unable to identify her at the time of her death, but kept the case open as DNA technology improved. From 2001 until 2016, investigators developed nuclear and mitochondrial DNA profiles and entered those into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System. Pollens studies of her clothing and studies of her hair were also conducted.

The breakthrough came on April 9, 2018 when the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab confirmed it was King.

The Miami County Sheriff's Office credited the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit which helps identify unknown people, with assisting in the discovery. The nonprofit was created in 2017 and the "Buckskin Girl" case was one of the first accepted.

King's family has requested privacy as they process the recent discovery.

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