‘Chelsea Jane Doe’ identified as Pennsylvania teen 26 years after murder
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Authorities identified a Pennsylvania teenager nearly 26 years after his murder, in a rare case where investigators knew the killer’s identity long before they knew the victim’s name.
“Chelsea Jane Doe” was identified through advanced DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy as 16-year-old Tiffany Bradley of Allentown, Pennsylvania, the FBI’s Boston field office, Massachusetts State Police and the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Bradley’s killer, Eugene McCollom, pleaded guilty years ago and is serving a life sentence. But despite the conviction, investigators spent decades trying to identify the young victim.
“We’ve waited a long time for this day,” Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said at a news conference. “A case like this, where we know the suspect’s name before the victim’s name, is rare.”
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Police found Bradley’s remains on November 13, 2000, in the parking lot of the Soldier’s Home in Chelsea, Massachusetts, about 315 miles from his hometown.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden described the scene investigators encountered.
“They found the body of an unknown female,” Hayden said. “Tragically, he was split in half. His head and hands were missing.”
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Family members and law enforcement officials attended a news conference announcing the identity of Tiffany Bradley, the Pennsylvania teenager known as “Chelsea Jane Doe” for nearly 26 years. (Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office)
McCollom, who remains in custody, admitted to killing Bradley after he arrived in the Boston area and later told investigators where the other remains were buried, authorities said.
According to the FBI, Bradley had been trafficked across state lines before his death.
Advances in DNA technology and genealogical research ultimately allowed investigators to identify Bradley and notify his family nearly 26 years after his death, authorities said.
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“Today we can finally say her name: Tiffany Bradley of Allentown, Pennsylvania,” the FBI Boston office wrote in a Facebook post announcing the discovery.
For Bradley’s family, the identification put an end to decades of unanswered questions.
Bradley’s relative, Shakirah Wiggins, said during the press conference: “His last conversation with his favorite cousin was interrupted by his voice breaking, saying, ‘I’ll call you later. I have to go.'” “That call never came and was replaced by a 26-year wait wondering why.”
Wiggins thanked authorities for continuing the investigation even after the killer was identified.
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“It’s truly amazing that 26 years later, people care enough to give him a name and give him back to our family,” he said. “The wheels of justice work slowly but surely.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI’s Boston field office for additional comment but did not immediately receive a response.
