Human remains that were found in Spartanburg County nearly 15 years ago have now been identified. Coroner Rusty Clevenger held a press conference Wednesday morning to identify the Jane Doe that had been named Ms. Startex until now.
In 2011, teenagers discovered the remains in a wooded area in the Startex Mill Village. A forensic exam revealed that the woman identified as Jolene Lynn White had been killed before her body was dumped in the woods.
White had been living in Cowpens until she disappeared in 2005, six years before her remains were found. The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office enlisted the help of the DNA Doe Project in the case in 2020.
They were able to use DNA technology to trace White's genealogy and identify her remains. At the press conference Clevenger's said that White's manner of death will not be released at this time, as the case is still under investigation.