On September 25, 1988, an unknown victim was found dead 30 feet off the side of CR 272 in a rural and heavily wooded area of Clermont, Florida. Now, after years of difficult work from genealogists, the identity of the victim has officially been identified.
According to a release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), the victim had been deceased for about two to four weeks before being found. They appeared to be female with breast implants and wearing a skirt; further evidence suggested they may have been taking female hormone injections. It wasn’t until 2015 when improved DNA technology revealed the victim to be biologically male.
With the victim’s true identity still shrouded in mystery, LCSO, with support from Dr. Barbara Wolf and the District Medical Examiners for Districts 5 and 24, had the case evaluated by the DNA Doe Project — a non-profit organization that uses investigative genetic genealogy techniques to identify unidentified remains.
After 10 years of difficult work, DNA Doe Project genealogists were able to connect DNA from the cold case to possible relatives of the victim. LCSO contacted the potential relatives, who then sent in their DNA for comparison. These comparisons confirmed the relation, identifying the ‘Julie Doe’ as Pamela Leigh Walton.
Pamela Leigh Walton was born a biological male; at a young age, he was put up for adoption in Kentucky. Once adopted, he received the name Lee Allen Walton. At some point in Lee’s adult life, he changed his name to Pamela and began transitioning from male to female. It is unknown whether or not Walton underwent any additional gender reassignment procedures.
While the discovery of Pamela Leigh Walton’s identity marks a major milestone in solving the cold case, some details still remain uncovered. As of publication, it remains unclear how Pamela came to be in Florida, and the manner of her death is still undetermined.
LCSO state that they continue to put effort into gathering information regarding Pamela’s death circumstances and encourage anyone who may have information to contact their non-emergency line at 352-343-2101.