Twelve years after Sarah Mitchell vanished from a parking garage in Austin, Texas, investigators have located her alive in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the FBI announced on Monday. The breakthrough came through a genealogical DNA database search.
Mitchell, now 42, reportedly left her life voluntarily due to a domestic violence situation and assumed a new identity to escape her abuser. She was located after providing a DNA sample following her arrest for petty theft, which was uploaded to a genealogy database.
"We are relieved to confirm that Sarah Mitchell is alive and safe," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Williams. "While this is not the outcome we initially anticipated, confirming her wellbeing is a positive resolution for a family that has endured tremendous uncertainty."
Mitchell's family expressed mixed emotions at the news. "We have been searching for answers for 12 years, never knowing if Sarah was alive or dead," said her sister, Jennifer Mitchell. "We are grateful she survived."
The case has highlighted the growing effectiveness of genealogical DNA searches in resolving cold cases. The FBI has used similar techniques to identify over 400 missing persons and solve more than 100 homicide cases in the past five years.