VALENCIA COUNTY, N.M. —

Using DNA testing and forensic investigative genetic genealogy, the Valencia County Sheriff's Office has identified human remains found in 2022 in the Tierra Grande area.

Those found remains have been identified to belong to Lisa Marie Vernon, of Albuquerque.

Deputies were dispatched in July 2022 to a private land where remains were found beneath a tree. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator took custody of the remains for examination.

After traditional methods failed to make an identification, detectives partnered in 2023 with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project to develop a genetic profile.

In May 2025, the organization provided genealogical leads suggesting the decedent was likely Vernon of Albuquerque. Working with the OMI, investigators contacted rel

See Full Page