35 years later, Georgia authorities identify woman whose body was found in a dumpster

A body found wrapped in plastic inside a Georgia dumpster 35 years ago has been identified as that of a South Korean woman, officials announced Monday.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they used DNA analysis, paid for by donors, to determine that Chong Un Kim, 26, was the person whose body was discovered in rural Millen in February 1988.

Kim died from asphyxiation, but it’s unclear whether someone killed her or who dumped her body. She was found wrapped with plastic and duct tape, inside a suitcase that had been placed in a trash bin. Investigators said Kim had been dead four to seven days when her body was found.

Kim had moved to the United States in 1981, investigators said. She had lived for several years in Hinesville, which adjoins Fort Stewart and is 70 miles (110 kilometers) miles south of Millen.

Investigators were unable to identify Kim for decades, despite the use of fingerprints, dental records and a forensic sketch. DNA found at the time could not be matched. The body became known as “Jane Millen Doe” and “Jenkins County Jane Doe.”

GBI recently send DNA evidence to Othram, a Texas company that tries to match DNA to unknown relatives using large genetic databases. Othram said Monday that it produced new leads for GBI that led to Kim’s identification. Georgia investigators said they notified Kim’s family earlier this month that her body had been identified.

Project Justice, a donor group that seeks to solve cold cases, paid for Othram’s work.

The GBI is asking anyone who may have known Chong Un Kim, or has any information about the case, to contact the agency at 912-871-1121. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.