15-year-old found buried in shallow grave at vineyard identified in 1978 cold case

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Gray News) - A 15-year-old girl who was found dead in a shallow grave on a California vineyard nearly 50 years ago has been identified, according to authorities.During a press conference, the Kern County Sheriff’s Department identified the teen as Michelle Louise Collier.The teen was last seen in February 1978 before a tractor operator found her body in a shallow grave at a vineyard four months after her disappearance.She was then known only as Jane Doe, and her cause of death was ruled a homicide. But without an identity for the victim, the case went cold.The remains were buried at Arvin Cemetery in November 1978 after investigators were unable to identify them through fingerprints, dental X-rays or other forensic methods available at the time.The case was reopened multiple times over the following decades as forensic science advanced.The breakthrough finally came in 2025 when investigators turned to forensic investigative genetic genealogy.Investigators developed