“For 27 years, officers who have retired now, and now our cold case team, now has been working on this trying to identify and then find out who did this,” said San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow announcing the breakthrough in the case.
She went by the moniker “the lady in the fridge” for almost three decades.
She now has a name, at last.
The enigmatic murder victim who was discovered dead inside a refrigerator on Thursday was identified as Amanda Lynn Schumann Deza by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit detectives.
According to San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow, “for 27 years, officers who have since retired, as well as our cold case team, have been working on this trying to identify and then find out who did this.”
West of Stockton, California, in an irrigation canal, Deza’s body was discovered in the refrigerator in March 1995. At the time of her death, she was 29 years old, divorced, and the mother of three kids.
“We have access to investigative technology that combines DNA analysis with conventional genealogical research. This provides leads that we can pursue in relation to this horrible homicide that remains unsolved, according to Lt. Linda Jimenez of the sheriff’s office’s cold case team.
DNA laboratory Othram, who collaborated with the department to solve the mystery, claims that forensic genetic genealogy was employed to generate investigation leads that ultimately brought about contact with individuals who were speculated to be Deza’s mother and daughter.
When they contributed a sample of their DNA for comparison, the match allowed Deza’s identification and birthdate of August 11, 1965 to be verified.
Deza’s identity is no longer a mystery, but the murderer’s identity is still a mystery.
“We’re missing a lot of information on the years before her death and disappearance. We also hope that you will remember Amanda and get in touch with us,” stated Jiminez.
Deza’s family claims that she was last seen in the Napa area of California with an unnamed man she met in a recovery center. Deza was reportedly a frequent visitor to the Napa, Oakley, and Delta regions of the state.
