His body was found 50 years ago in the waters of an Ontario river . But the identity of the woman has remained shrouded in mystery to this day. The cold case of Jewell "Lalla" Lanford has come to an end: the Canadian police have in fact identified the body.

The story began in 1975 when the woman's family reported her missing after she left her hometown, Tennessee, for Montreal. On May 3 of that year her body was found in the Nation River but it was impossible to identify her: so she was given the name of " Nation River Lady ".

Over the years, however, the investigators' work has not stopped and - thanks to new and sophisticated technologies based on genetic genealogy - they have managed to reconstruct the dynamics of "Lalla's" last day. The woman was allegedly strangled with a plastic cord . The killer also tied her hands and ankles with a tie and wrapped her face in a rag.

Last year, 81-year-old Rodney Nichols was arrested in Florida for the murder . It is not known what kind of relationship there was between the victim and the killer, it is only certain that they knew each other. The woman's remains were returned to the family in March 2022 .

(Unioneonline/vf)