Decades-old human remains found near Lake Tahoe, California, have been identified as belonging to Donna Lass, who vanished in 1970, according to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. Lass, 25 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen in the South Lake Tahoe area in September 1970. Despite exhaustive investigations, her case remained unsolved.
In 1986, a skull was discovered off Highway 20 and Interstate 80 near Lake Tahoe by authorities, but no further evidence was found then. The Placer County Coroner’s Office preserved the skull for many years.

Recently, a newly formed cold case team dedicated to investigating unsolved missing persons and suspicious death cases submitted the skull for DNA analysis. Last week, a DNA match was confirmed.

The California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services successfully matched the skull's DNA with DNA from a family member of Donna Lass, provided by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department for their missing persons investigation. This breakthrough led the Placer County Sheriff’s Office to officially identify the skull as the remains of Donna Lass.

Authorities said Lass' surviving family members were notified of the DNA match and investigators are continuing efforts to reexamine the case.

"We are extremely grateful that this team effort was able to bring closure to the Lass family and are hopeful that cold case detectives can continue to make advances in these cases," the sheriff’s office said.

Donna Lass, who worked as a nurse at a casino in Stateline, Nevada, close to South Lake Tahoe, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, as reported in a newspaper clipping from the 1970s shared by the sheriff's office.

Lass was last observed on September 7, 1970, in the company of a young, blonde man near the apartment she had just rented the previous day, according to the newspaper. She left behind a new car, an extensive wardrobe, and a bank account.