In 1988, the body of a woman was found in Florida, and for decades she was known as “Julie Doe.” She has now been identified as Pamela Leigh Walton, a transgender woman. Walton’s body was found in a wooded area in Claremont, near Orlando, on Sept. 25, 1988, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. She had been dead for two to four weeks. At first, authorities believed she was a cisgender woman, a conclusion that lasted until 2025. They later found out that she was a transgender woman who had undergone breast augmentation surgery and was probably on hormone therapy.
A Facebook post by the sheriff’s office noted that the case was investigated by the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, which uses investigative genetic genealogies to identify unidentified remains, with the support of district medical examiner Barbara Wolfe. Genetic genealogists tracked down Doe’s possible relatives, and the sheriff’s office contacted them and obtained DNA samples.
It turns out Walton was born in Kentucky, identified as male at birth and adopted at age 5. The cause of her death is still unknown and the Sheriff’s Office staff are continuing to investigate and are asking the public to share information if they have it. An initial autopsy revealed healed fractures to her cheekbones and nose, as well as a broken rib, according to the DNA Doe Project. Lance Daley, an investigative genetic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project, said in a press release, “It was clear from the beginning that our Doe had strong family ties to Kentucky, but we weren’t sure if she was born there, or if she ever lived there.” While searching records in Fayette County, Kentucky, we found the names of two key relatives who are critical to solving this mystery.”
Although Facebook removed ads about the case, it eventually confirmed her identity.
PAM Lauritzen, the project’s executive director of media and communications, said: “Pamela’s story encapsulates many of the common issues faced by transgender people. From the derogatory notes in her high school yearbook to the tombstone that preengraved with her male name, it is heartbreaking to think that this community is unwilling to accept her and who she has chosen to be.”
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