Florida teenage cold case victim identified 40 years later, deputies say
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - After 40 years, deputies said they have identified a Florida cold case victim who would have been a teenager when she went missing.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said the girl has been identified as Rebecca Sue Hill, who has been missing from Arkansas since sometime in 1981.

Deputies have identified a teenage Florida cold case victim as Rebecca Sue Hill. (Credit: Lake County Sheriff's Office)
Discovering ‘Judy Doe’
The backstory:
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said an unidentified girl was located on April 18, 1984, off a dirt road near Lake Dorr, in Altoona.
Deputies said they designated the girl as "Judy Doe."
Deputies said the case has been reviewed and investigated by numerous detectives for more than 40 years.
Multiple efforts were made to identify the girl's remains based off of skeletal recreations, dental records and DNA, officials stated.
However, they reported all of these efforts were unsuccessful.
Timeline:
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it contracted Othram, Inc., a private laboratory that specializes in Forensic Genetic Genealogy, in an attempt to provide new leads or information in the case in November 2023.
Detectives said more than a year was spent working through the genealogy of Judy Doe, and possible family members were identified.
Officials reported they contacted the suspected family members in an attempt to gather information and obtain samples to further the genealogical testing.
In November 2024, detectives were able to make contact with a suspected close relative of Judy Doe.
Reports show the cooperation of the family member led to them submitting DNA for comparison, which then was sent to Othram for analysis.
Who is Rebecca Sue Hill?
What we know:
In December 2024, Othram verified Judy Doe was the sister of the family member, and Judy Doe’s real name is Rebecca Sue Hill.
Detectives said they suspect Rebecca to have been 16 or 17 years old at the time of her disappearance.
Rebecca was not in any database as a missing person, officials said, because her remains were found in Little Rock, Arkansas, and misidentified by a family member sometime in 1981 or 1982.
What's next:
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said it has made contact with the Little Rock Police Department regarding the findings.
Detectives stated they are continuing to investigate the circumstances of Rebecca's disappearance and death, but they suspect it to have been a homicide.
Are other people missing from Lake County?
Dig deeper:
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it currently has three other cases in the genetic genealogy process.
- "Julie Doe," who is being investigated in conjunction with the DNA Doe Project and was located Sept. 25, 1988, in Clermont.
- "Jane Doe," who is being investigated with the help of Othram Inc. and was located Dec. 7, 1991, in Sorrento.
- A sexual battery suspect from 2007, which is being worked with the help of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Parabon Nanolabs.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:
- Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines
- Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar
- Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines
- FOX Local: Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.