Florida

Tampa-Area Cold Case Investigators ID Missing Teen 42 Years Later

A Virginia girl missing for 42 years was the victim of a traffic accident in Florida in 1973, cold case investigators found.

St. Petersburg cold case investigators have identified a Virginia girl missing for 42 years as the victim of a traffic accident in Florida in 1973.

The Tampa Bay Times reports police announced in a press conference Thursday investigators could confirm a teenager who died in June 1973 in St. Petersburg was 16-year-old Janice Marie Young, a runaway from Virginia.

Arrest reports say 24-year-old Lawrence Dorn pushed Young into traffic during a fight. He was arrested for murder but the charges were later dropped. Authorities weren't able to identify Young's body.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited posted a reconstructed picture of the unidentified girl on Facebook in 2014. Her brother found the post in January and submitted to DNA tests. The results came back positive this month.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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