Murder of Michelle Garvey

Michelle Garvey went missing from New London, Connecticut, presumably after running away from home, on June 1, 1982, at the age of fourteen. She was believed to have intended to return to her birth state, New Jersey, or to North Carolina. She had a previous history of running away, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Initially, it was unknown what had happened to Garvey, as she may have left home to start a new life and was thought to have possibly been still alive. == Discovery ==

impression of what the then-unidentified Garvey looked like in life Garvey's body was found on July 1, 1982, in Baytown, Texas, one month after she went missing. Authorities were unable to identify her body, but could determine that the victim was a white female between fifteen and twenty years old with blue eyes and curly red hair. Her body was found wearing brown clothing, including a long-sleeved, button-down shirt with a distinct horse embroidery on the breast pocket. Her pants were made of corduroy material. The body was disposed of in a field after she died, possibly merely hours after her murder. As a Jane Doe, Michelle was buried temporarily at the Harris County II Cemetery near two other unidentified murder victims found in 1981, who were identified in 2021 as Dean and Tina Clouse. == Identification ==

The body was exhumed in May 2011 to obtain a DNA profile to compare to potential matches, including Garvey's brother. Garvey was identified in January 2014, through the efforts of NCMEC and by the Harris County Police Department, who had contacted her family and obtained samples of their DNA for testing in August 2013, to add to an old sample taken from her brother, which had previously been submitted to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and analyzed by the University of North Texas. She had remained unidentified for 31 years; Garvey was fourteen when she disappeared from Connecticut, and was fifteen at the time of her death, more than half-way across the country. Since her identification, authorities have continued their investigation, now aimed at finding Garvey's murderer. == See also ==