DNA Match With Son Confirms Identity Of CA Murder Victim After 27 Years

EL CAJON, CA — A murder victim whose partially decomposed body was found in a ravine in eastern San Diego County has been identified nearly three decades after her death, authorities announced.

DNA testing confirmed that the remains discovered Aug. 13, 1998 in the 1300 block of Avocado Avenue in El Cajon were those of 30-year-old Alicia Ledezma Sanchez, according to the El Cajon Police Department. Investigators believe she had been dead for as long as six weeks when she was found.

"There was no identification located at the scene, and traditional investigative methods were unsuccessful in identifying her," police said in a news release.

In 2003, cold-case homicide detectives with the El Cajon Police Department revived the investigation, sending Sanchez's skull to a forensic artist who created a forensic sculpture. Photographs of the rendering were released to the public, but no viable leads resulted in the effort.

In 2008, a DNA sample was obtained from her remains and a genetic profile was developed, but there were no matches in the database, according to police.

Over a two-year period beginning in 2023, members of the department's volunteer cold-case unit worked with Othram Labs and Parabon Labs to conduct genetic genealogy and advanced DNA-analysis techniques that can reveal decedents' characteristics and potential family members.

In August, the department posted an update on the investigation on its social media pages and again sought the public's help. The cold-case unit was contacted by a potential family member who believed she knew the victim's identity. A DNA test with Sanchez's son confirmed a familial match, finally revealing her identity 27 years later.

Anyone with information about Sanchez or the circumstances surrounding her death was asked to call the department's Investigation Division at 619-579-3320 or email the volunteer cold-case team at coldcaseunit@elcajon.gov. Anonymous tips can also be sent to San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or sdcrimestoppers.org.