58°
The Fairfax County Police Department announced on Thursday, July 7, that cold case detectives identified the woman who they have been calling "The Christmas Tree Lady" since they found her body on Dec. 18, 1996.
Her name is Joyce Meyer. She was 69 years old when she died.
Police found Meyer's body at the Pleasant Valley Memorial Park on Little River Turnpike in Annandale a week before Christmas. She had two things in her pocket: a suicide note and an envelope full of money meant to pay for her funeral. She signed each as Jane Doe. There was no foul play involved, police determined, but they had no idea who this Jane Doe was.
There was a small decorative Christmas tree near the body, which is how she got the nickname.
Police scoured missing person files in the area but came up empty. It took years for DNA technology to advance far enough for investigators to narrow down their search, but in May, police finally were able to give Christmas Tree Lady a name. They announced the findings this week.
Joyce Meyer moved to the northern Virginia area sometime in the 1980s, her family members told Fairfax County police. Meyer didn't have any loved ones in the area. So when she died, no one realized she was missing.
Police had her DNA but couldn't match it to anyone. That changed with new forensic genome sequencing from Othram Inc., which let detectives link her to some of her long-lost siblings, Fairfax County police said. DNASolves, a crowdfunding platform that helps solve cold cases, covered the cost of that test.
Fairfax County detectives spoke with Meyer's distant family earlier this year.
“After decades of wondering what happened to their loved one, Joyce’s family is finally at peace thanks to the dedicated work of several generations of FCPD detectives, anonymous donors, and Othram," said Fairfax County Bureau Commander Major Ed O’Carroll. "Our detectives never stopped working for Joyce and her family."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Prince William and receive free news updates.
