FL FL - Juanita Cooper, Vero Beach, 14 May 1984

PrayersForMaura · Jan 5, 2006

With only two living family members and most of the officers on her case gone from the job, Juanita Cooper's mysterious disappearance in 1985 seemed likely to remain just that.

But a few months ago, a body found almost 16 years earlier was identified as hers.

More: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/treasurecoast/content/local_news/epaper/2006/01/05/m1b_slbody_0105.html

jaybird · Jan 5, 2006

Wow. That's sad it took 16 years but at least she was finally found and ID'd.

petra · Jan 5, 2006

What a great job the detective did in continuing to hunt for answers. Too bad the ex bf/possible POI is in prison now and won't talk. Hope he never gets out. Does not sound like a nice guy.

And both of Ms Cooper's children are deceased...how sad.

montana_16 · Jan 5, 2006

petra said:
What a great job the detective did in continuing to hunt for answers. Too bad the ex bf/possible POI is in prison now and won't talk. Hope he never gets out. Does not sound like a nice guy.

And both of Ms Cooper's children are deceased...how sad.

Thank goodness for these detectives! They aren't really paid that much but they are so dedicated.

And at least her sister knows she's found now. In her picture her eyes look so sad. And both her children have both since died. Seems this family has had a lot of grief to bear. It is very sad.

Beyond Belief · Jan 5, 2006

A local family recently received some closure to the 1984 disappearance of Juanita Cooper when detectives used DNA from bones found 16 years ago along a Fort Pierce canal to identify the Vero Beach woman.

The new evidence had led local investigators to reclassify the 21-year-old missing person cold case file as an unsolved murder, officials announced Wednesday.
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_4362892,00.html

mysteriew · Jan 5, 2006

When even adults go missing, why won't LE do a little more investigation into the circumstances of their disappearance? :banghead:

OkieGranny · Jun 29, 2015

From May 2010:

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/murder-mysteries-law-enforcement-agencies-st-lucie

Family members last saw Juanita Cooper on May 14, 1984, near her Oslo Road home in Vero Beach.

A partial skeleton was found June 29, 1989, along a canal at Taylor Creek and 25th Street in Fort Pierce after a brush fire in St. Lucie County.

Using technology not available in the 1980s, crime lab scientists extracted DNA from the bones to compare with DNA from Cooper's living relatives. It was a match. And now, detectives have classified the case an unsolved homicide.

PayrollNerd · Jul 20, 2020

Oh, just noticed this is a duplicate. Sorry. There's a few other ladies with the same name that were missing/murdered.

Posted: May 21, 2010

Murder Mysteries: Fewer homicides being solved in St. Lucie County than decades ago

In 2006, the crime lab used DNA to solve an Indian River County Sheriff's Office's 21-year-old missing person case.

Family members last saw Juanita Cooper on May 14, 1984, near her Oslo Road home in Vero Beach.

A partial skeleton was found June 29, 1989, along a canal at Taylor Creek and 25th Street in Fort Pierce after a brush fire in St. Lucie County.

Using technology not available in the 1980s, crime lab scientists extracted DNA from the bones to compare with DNA from Cooper's living relatives.

It was a match. And now, detectives have classified the case an unsolved homicide.

PayrollNerd · Jul 20, 2020

The original link in post #1 no longer works. Perhaps someone with a subscription to newspapers .com can find a clip or post related to this case.

FL FL - Juanita Cooper, Vero Beach, 14 May 1984

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