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Who was Jewell Lalla Langford US woman whose remains were identified 48 yrs later?

The Ontario Provincial Police confirmed on Wednesday that they have identified the remains as those of Jewell “Lalla” Langford, a resident of Tennessee who was 48 years old at the time of her death.

Statesman News Service | July 6, 2023 8:47 pm

Who was Jewell Lalla Langford US woman whose remains were identified 48 yrs later?

A US businesswoman whose body was found floating in a river in Canada in 1975. Why are we talking about her 48 years later?

The Ontario Provincial Police confirmed on Wednesday that they have identified the remains as those of Jewell “Lalla” Langford, a resident of Tennessee who was 48 years old at the time of her death.

A forensic artist had created a three-dimensional facial approximation of Langford in 2017 to help identify Langford’s remains. In 2020, genome sequencing was performed at Toronto’s Centre of Forensic Sciences. Her DNA profile was matched with two other persons listed in a family DNA tree. This case believed to be the first in Canada where human remains were identified using forensic genealogy.

Law enforcement agencies across both Canada and the United States were involved in identifying the remains. It eventually lead to the arrest of a man, Rodney Nichols, in Hollywood, Florida. He was arrested late last year. The police have said Nichols and Langford knew each other.

The police said that they were satisfied with the results of this investigation. Also, they were able to return Jewell Langford’s remains to her loved ones.

Langford had traveled to Montréal, Canada, in April 1975 and never returned home. Her body was found a month later in the Nation River by a farmer. After her death in this river, Langford was named the ‘Nation River Lady’.

A noose was tightened around her neck with a cable wire. Also her hands and legs were bound with a necktie.

As per the reports, Langford was a notable member of the Jackson, Tennessee business community. She owned a spa with her ex-husband. Also, she was the chair and president of the Jackson, Tennessee chapter of the American Businesswomen’s Association.

In the year 1971, she was voted ‘woman of the year.’