PHOTOS – Woman Fatally Shot in 1978 Identified: ‘The Closure Can Begin’

The identity of a woman found dead on a logging road in Massachusetts has finally been revealed, almost 45 years later.

Twenty-eight-year-old Patricia Ann Tucker’s body was located under a pile of leaves in Granby in November of 1978, after she had been shot in the head, the Associated Press reported Monday.

The woman was dubbed the “Granby Girl,” and later buried. The headstone on her grave read simply, “Unknown,” but thanks to investigators, her identity is no longer a mystery.

A photo shows officials making the announcement at a news conference, with an image of Tucker on a screen in the background:

In a social media post, the Massachusetts State Police said that although she has been identified, the name of the person who killed her has yet to be determined.

First Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne said, “This investigation has spanned decades, and will continue until each and every possible lead is explored.”

State police also included an image of a man, with the last name Coleman, who is now deceased and whom the agency deemed a person of interest in the homicide:

The AP report continued:

About two years ago, Massachusetts authorities obtained Tucker’s DNA profile through a forensic laboratory and eventually identified a woman in Maryland who was likely related to her, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan said. Police contacted the woman. She led them to Tucker’s son, who was 5 years old when Tucker vanished. Comparison of his DNA to Tucker’s resulted in a 100% parent/child match.

During his remarks read aloud at a recent news conference, the woman’s son, Matthew Dale, expressed his gratitude to those who worked on the case.

“Thank you for never giving up on her. At least I have some answers now after 44 years. It’s a lot to process, but hopefully, the closure can begin now,” he concluded.

Video footage shows a map pertaining to the case:

At the time of her death, she was the wife of Gerald Coleman, who apparently died in a state prison during the mid-1990s. Authorities say he never reported she was missing.