A woman who believed she had been abandoned as a baby found out her mother had been murdered 28 years prior, and she still doesn’t know the cause of death as she strives to solve the five-decade-old mystery.

Wilma June Nissen, 23, was murdered in rural Iowa in 1978, with her daughter, Krissi Atkisson, 47, only discovering the tragic reality in 2006 when a fingerprint match confirmed her identity.

Her body was discovered by a utility worker in a ditch along Highway 182 in Lyon County, four hours northwest of Des Moines, nearly 50 years ago.

Nissen had suffered a violent end.

Her jaw was missing, her teeth smashed, and the cause of death has never been made public by authorities.

Even with inconclusive DNA evidence and minimal support from authorities, Atkisson has kept the case active by advocating, launching awareness campaigns, and urging for advanced forensic testing.

Renowned forensic scientist Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick believes the murder can still be solved with today’s technology — if law enforcement is willing to act.

Meanwhile, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office insists that they have never stopped investigating the case, and made a plea for more information in May.

Atkisson, a jewelry maker from Kansas City, Missouri, said, “When they found her, she was nude from the waist up.

“Her pants and her underwear were around her left leg, and she basically didn’t have a face.”

At the time of her mother’s death, Atkisson — Nissen’s youngest child — was just one year old.

Growing up, Atkisson knew little about her biological mother. She was adopted by her mother’s former foster family and spent much of her life searching for answers.

“I’ve found more about her since she died than I ever did when she was alive, and we have so much in common that I feel like I’m missing a piece of me,” Atkisson said.

For nearly three decades, Nissen was known only as “Jane Doe.”

It wasn’t until 2006, when a forensic technician matched her fingerprints to a card from a prior arrest in Los Angeles, that her identity was confirmed.

The revelation upended Atkisson’s life, who had grown up believing her mother had abandoned her.

TRAGIC PAST

Nissen’s early life was marked by hardship. She entered foster care at age 10 after severe neglect and spent her teenage years in a series of foster homes.

Her foster parents — Marshall and Maxine Holte — eventually took her in.

As an adult, Nissen struggled to make ends meet and turned to sex work to survive.

By the time of her death, she was a mother of three, with Krissi being her only daughter.

Since Nissen’s murder, authorities have identified two persons of interest in the case — women known by the aliases “Sugar” and “Peaches,” both believed to have been involved in escort work and suspected of robbing other escorts and clients.

“Sugar” has been questioned multiple times and reportedly failed three polygraph tests, but denies involvement, according to multiple reports.

DNA QUESTION

DNA evidence collected from a rope found at the scene has yielded inconclusive results — a mixture from multiple contributors that has not led to a suspect.

But Atkisson continues to be the driving force behind renewed efforts to solve the case, and her determination has prompted ongoing DNA analysis by investigators.

“If you’re going through the same thing or a similar thing as I am, don’t give up hope,” she said.

“It’s hard. It’s the hardest thing to ever do. It’ll try every chance it gets to break you, but keep going.”

Atkisson met her biological father, Bob Irvin, a few times but “never felt a connection” with him, adding, “there was a weird vibe.”

Irvin, who was in a relationship with Nissen from 1975 to 1977, died in 2000.

The pain of not knowing exactly what happened to her mother lingers.

“The police won’t tell me how she died,” Atkisson said. “They did say that it was very specific, extremely brutal, and was not quick.

“That’s all I know. It sends my brain to the darkest places.”

The lack of closure is compounded by the haunting images used in the investigation.

“Those reconstruction pictures terrified me for a long time. I know that sounds stupid, but I’ve never seen my mom.”

NEW EFFORTS

Now, renowned Orange County, California-based forensic scientist Fitzpatrick, 70, president of Identifinders International, is offering her expertise if authorities are willing to take it.

“Technology has advanced along the way,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said, noting she believes Nissen’s murder can be solved.

“Cases that were looked at long ago before DNA came into the picture, you can say now, ‘Hey, we’re testing on something that they didn’t even think about back then.’

“Maybe it’s time to test them again with more sensitive, more sophisticated technology that exists now that didn’t exist the last time they looked at it,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said.

She added, “The stumbling block is getting the cooperation of the sheriff’s department.”

“Sometimes the detectives just don’t have the time. We have violent crimes, we have gangs. So sometimes there’s only 24 hours in a day, and they can’t get to older cases.”

In a statement posted in May, the local sheriff’s office said that even though this is a cold case, their investigation continues.

“With the passing of time and a case going from one investigator to the next, there are significant challenges in solving a case,” wrote Sheriff Brian Hilt.

“However, with the passing of time advancements are also made in forensic science and technology.

“Over time as these advancements have been made, the investigative team has sought out utilizing these advancements to provide information to further the investigation.

“This continues today as the investigative team continues to seek out forensic solutions which made lead to additional information for investigators.”

At the heart of this decades-long search for justice is Atkisson’s deep connection to her mother.

“It’s been 50 years. If you saw something, say something,” Atkisson said. “She’s a part of me.”