CARSON CITY, Nev. (WJW) — Human remains found in 1978 in Nevada have been identified as a Cleveland native who reportedly dropped out of touch with family that year.

Nevada State Police announced Tuesday that the remains have been identified as belonging to Florence Charleston, a woman from Cleveland.

Charleston moved to Portland, Oregon, in the early 1970s, but family members lost contact with her by 1978.

Her remains were found in a garment bag on Oct. 26, 1978, in a remote area 13 miles west of Imlay, Nevada, a small town in the northwestern part of the state, according to a news release.

The bag, which included women’s clothing and other pieces of evidence, was turned over to the county sheriff’s office.

An investigation didn’t turn up any identifying information for the woman. An autopsy determined the remains belonged to a white woman, about 40 years old, but “due to the remains being heavily decayed,” investigators couldn’t determine her cause of death, according to the release.

State police investigators followed up on “numerous tips,” submitted dental records for comparison and worked with the FBI to examine her clothing, do a facial reconstruction and seek a DNA profile from the remains. Charleston was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, but no leads were established.

In March 2022, state investigators employed Othram Inc., a Texas-based forensics lab specializing in cold cases, for advanced testing and a genealogy search. The technology developed “several new investigative leads,” which led to her identification, according to the release.

Charleston has two living relatives — two nieces who live here in Ohio.

They were stunned to learn that after more than four decades, their “Aunt Dolly” was found.

“Relieved because we finally know something, but God, we can’t stand that anybody could kill her, she was too good of a person, everybody loved her,” said Charleston’s niece, Diane Liggitt.

They now hope the same technology that identified her can help find out what happened to her.

“Every kid should have an aunt like her… She played, I’d go spend a week with her,” Liggitt said. “She was just great. She was great in every way.”

The investigation into Charleston’s death is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Nevada State Police investigators at 775-684-7456.

Find out more about how Othram Inc. solves cases using the latest genealogy technology here.