After 12 years of mystery, the woman known only as “Miss Startex” has been identified as Jolene Lynn White of Cowpens, thanks to groundbreaking DNA genealogy work.
Her remains were discovered by teenagers in 2011 near Startex, South Carolina, but traditional forensic methods failed to identify her—until now. Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger announced that with the help of the DNA Doe Project, a new match in the FTDNA database allowed researchers to identify her biological family. The team built a family tree with nearly 50,000 people before making the critical link.
White is believed to have gone missing in 2003 but was never reported, slowing early efforts. Now, the case is officially classified as a homicide and is under active investigation by the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Her mother, who had held out hope for years, now knows what happened to her daughter — a mix of heartbreak and closure.
