She was buried as a Jane Doe for 27 years before her family finally learned her name had been on a missing person report the whole time. It took another 15 years, and a new DNA program, to identify a suspect.
An Unidentified Victim
In June 1981, the body of an 18-year-old woman was found along IH-35 in southern Comal County, Texas. An autopsy determined she had died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Despite efforts to identify her through fingerprints and a composite sketch, she remained unidentified and was eventually buried as a Jane Doe.
Finding Her Name
The victim was Carol Joyce Deleon, who had disappeared shortly after her high school graduation in 1981. Her family had attempted to file a missing person report at the time, but because she was 18 and had told relatives she planned to move away, authorities did not accept the report as indicating foul play. In 2007, her sister filed a new missing person report. When investigators reviewed the case in 2008, they matched her description to the unidentified Jane Doe from 1981, and her family confirmed her identity from a photograph; DNA testing later confirmed the match after 27 years.
The DNA Breakthrough
Texas Rangers uploaded an unidentified DNA profile from the case to a national database in 2010, but it produced no matches at the time. In 2020, the evidence was retested using advanced techniques funded through the Texas Department of Public Safety's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which ultimately identified Larry Allen West as a suspect.
The Arrest
Larry Allen West, 68, of San Antonio, was arrested on April 13 and charged with murder. He was booked into the Bexar County Jail on a $125,000 bond. As of the available information, an indictment and trial were pending — the current case status should be verified before publishing.
FAQ
How long was Carol Joyce Deleon unidentified?
27 years — from her 1981 death until her identity was confirmed in 2008.
How was a suspect finally identified?
Advanced DNA testing conducted in 2020 under a state forensic initiative led investigators to Larry Allen West.
Has the case gone to trial?
As of the available information, it had not; the current status should be confirmed before publishing.