A 13-year-old girl who was discovered dead along a river in Santa Cruz County, California, three decades ago has been identified through DNA testing, according to investigators.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with a forensic DNA lab named Othram to generate new leads in the longstanding cold case. On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office announced, “Through this collaboration, we have successfully identified the remains as belonging to 13-year-old Laura O’Malley from Queens, New York.”

O’Malley’s partial skeletal remains were uncovered on March 22, 1995, beside a river adjacent to Highway 129. Her estimated time of death ranged between 1977 and 1984.

O’Malley was reported missing in New York by her family in the summer of 1975. Her family never saw or heard from her again. Investigators said it’s still unknown how the teen girl traveled to California, nor what caused her death.

Othram and the Sheriff’s Office utilized advanced genetic genealogy to identify potential family

members in recent years.

“We are deeply grateful for our partnership with Othram and the use of forensic advancements that have provided long-awaited answers to Laura’s family. The circumstances surrounding her

death are still under investigation,” the sheriff’s office wrote.