PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. — Authorities in north-central Arizona believe they now know the name of a little girl whose burned remains were found in a remote desert area 62 years ago.
Yavapai County sheriff's officials identified the girl as Sharon Lee Gallegos of New Mexico Tuesday during a news conference at Yavapai Community College in Prescott.
Dubbed “Little Miss Nobody,” Gallegos' partially buried remains were located in a wash on July 31, 1960. Investigators said her remains were buried about a week or two before being discovered.
Yavapai County officials contacted the family of Gallegos' on Friday to announce the news. Gallegos' nephew, who was born after her death, said she was born in 1955.
Authorities say there were no obvious injuries to her decomposed body and the case was ruled a homicide.
The Prescott community raised money to provide a funeral for the unidentified child in 1960.
In 2018, her remains were exhumed so DNA samples could be taken.
The sheriff’s office and a Texas DNA company raised $4,000 earlier this year to fund specialized testing and finally identify the girl.
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