A 2001 homicide victim, who was a mother to four children, has been identified by Las Vegas police.
Virgia Mae Jackson was named in the Metropolitan Police Department release on Wednesday.
Her skull was found near Pabco and Sunset roads on Jan. 11, 2001, according to police.
“Detectives and crime scene analysts processed the scene and located multiple other human bones from a shallow grave,” a Metro news release stated. “The remains were unable to be identified, and the victim was given the name of Jane “Pabco” Doe. The investigation soon went cold.”
In 2021, the skeletal remains were sent to Othram Inc., a lab in Texas that uses whole genome sequencing and genealogy to identify individuals.
In November of 2024, Othram notified cold case detectives they had identified the victim through DNA as Jackson.
More than 24 years ago, family members said Virgia left the San Antonio, Texas, area with four small children sometime in the mid 1990s, the release said. Records checks of Virgia through Metro reveal she was living in the Las Vegas area in 1995.
Virgia moved to the Las Vegas area to “start a new life” and to be close to her friend, possibly Ava or Eva, whom she had met in Texas and who had family in the Las Vegas area, family members told police.
“Virgia fell on hard times and was unable to care for her four children. The oldest went back to Texas to live with family members and the other three were placed into temporary care here in Las Vegas,” the release said. “Virgia would regularly visit her children until one week she did not show up.”
Virgia was not reported as missing to police because the family thought she had disappeared. She was last reported living near Harmon Avenue and Mountain Vista Street.
It is believed Virgia went missing sometime in 1999 or 2000, the release stated.
Anyone with information about what may have happened to Virgia Mae Jackson or anyone who may know the identity of Ava or Eva, the friend of Virgia, is urged to contact Metro’s Homicide Section at 702-828-3521. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555, or at crimestoppersofnv.com.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.
