Juana Rosas-Zagal was killed in 1996 and was identified 27 years later with the help of genetic genealogy database sites. Tony Shin reports for the NBC4 News on June 26, 2023.
After nearly three decades of wondering and searching, Juana Rosas-Zagal’s four daughters came one step closer to justice.
On Monday, the Riverside Country Regional Cold Case Homicide Team announced it has identified the body of a homicide victim that was found 27 years ago on the side of the 60 Freeway in Riverside County as Rosas-Zagal.
Rosas-Zagal, who was from the Los Angeles area, would have been 41 years old at the time of her death. Her body was found next to piles of trash on Jan 27, 1996, east of Gilman Springs Road between Moreno Valley and Beaumont, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.
Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, a tool that helps identify missing or unidentified people through DNA data and family connections, led the team to not only identify Rosas-Zagal, but track down her four daughters, as well. The practice uses genetic information from direct-to-consumer companies to help identify cold case suspects and victims.
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“He destroyed my family. He didn’t kill only one person. He killed all of us,” Rosas-Zagal’s second daughter Santana said in a YouTube video posted by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office on Monday morning.
Authorities have not identified a suspect in the killing. Santana and the RCCHT ask that anyone who knew Juana or has any information about the case call the detectives at (951) 955-0740 or (951) 955-2777.
