The mystery of a missing mother-of-two who disappeared with her boyfriend in 1968 when she was just 25 has finally been solved after almost six decades.
Mary Alice Pultz, who was raised in Rockville, Maryland, had become estranged from her family after running away with John Thomas Fugitt, according to the St Johns County Sheriff's Office.
The last time her family saw her alive was in 1968.
But last week, in a stunning turn of events, the sheriff's office revealed skeletal remains that had been discovered on Crescent Beach, Florida, in 1985 by construction workers had now been positively identified as Pultz.
An initial investigation determined the remains belonged to a white female between the ages of 30 and 50 - but the case turned cold over the years and the remains were left unidentified until January this year.
The chilling mystery of Mary Alice Pultz, who disappeared with her boyfriend in 1968, has finally been solved almost six decades after she vanished aged 25
Pultz's boyfriend John Thomas Fugitt has been named a person of interest in her death, but he died in prison afterhe was convicted in the 1981 murder of his male roommate in Georgia
Mary Pultz’s remains were examined by medical examiner Dr. Wendolyn Sneed who found she had suffered multiple injuries. There were also three surgical burr holes drilled into her skull
In 2011, the victim's skull and jaw were sent to the Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science at the University of South Florida, where experts crated a facial reconstruction to see what she may have looked like.
The image provided detectives with some leads, but the case hit another dead end and was left unsolved.
That was until last year when the remains were sent to Othram, a lab in Texas that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy.
Thanks to the hi-tech equipment in the lab, potential relatives of the victim were identified, the sheriff's office explained.
Pultz's living relatives - son Norman Jenkins of Yuma, Arizona, and her sister Patricia Allamong of Winchester, Virginia, were found and agreed to undergo DNA sampling.
Sergeant Gene Tolbert took a trip to meet with those relatives and after taking more DNA samples and carrying out further tests, and in January 2024 authorities were able to positively identify the remains.
Further examinations to remains by medical examiner Dr Wendolyn Sneed revealed the victim had suffered a series of injuries including fractures of the nasal bones, multiple ribs, and on the lower legs - some of which were healed.
There were also three surgical burr holes drilled into the mom's skull, according to the sheriff's office.
Detectives investigating the case discovered, through conversations with her family, that the holes were likely drilled after she vanished from her home in the late 60s.
'Dr. Sneed advised these injuries, in addition to the surgical burr holes, are indicative of severe trauma that would have required hospitalization such as being involved in a vehicle crash or being struck by a vehicle,' the release said.
Skeletal remains found in a shallow grave on Crescent Beach, Florida in 1985 were positively identified as Pultz in January this year
St Johns County Sheriff's pictured on the St Augustine beach in 1985 when the remains were first discovered
In 2011, the victim's skull and jaw were sent to the Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science at the University of South Florida, where experts crated a facial reconstruction to see what she may have looked like
The details of how the mom died remains unclear but her death is currently being investigated as a homicide and detectives have named boyfriend Fugitt as a person of interest in the chilling case.
'Although a significant amount of time has passed, detectives are hopeful that the information developed so far will result in a lead(s) that brings final closure to the family,' the sheriff's office said.
Fugitt, who went by Tommy, also had an alias: Billy Joe Wallace.
'We don't know if Tommy had anything to do with Mary Alice's appearance but he is certainly at the top of our list in terms of persons of interest,' Tolbert said in a video posted to Facebook that the sheriff's office made about the case.
But officers learned he was convicted in the 1981 murder of his male roommate in Georgia.
He was sentenced to death in that case but died in prison before he could be executed, according to the sheriff's office.
It is unclear if Pultz relocated to Florida with Fugitt as there were no recorded addresses or jobs she may have held between 1968 when she left Maryland, and 1985 when her remains were discovered.
'This investigation is a powerful example that we will never give up,' St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said in a press release.
'The combination of highly skilled detectives and advanced DNA technology has given Mary Alice's family some answers about her disappearance close to 40 years ago.'
Pultz's son, Norman, who was young when she left, said: 'I would just like to know if anyone ever saw her or knew her.'
