Elaine Zeigler was 15 and from Ohio when she disappeared on December 31, 1975. Her remains were found in 1981 buried on property owned by Billy Mansfield Jr. in Spring Hill, Florida, alongside the remains of three other women.

Billy Mansfield Jr. had an existing criminal history that included battery, kidnapping, and sexual assault. Investigators identified Elaine’s remains using DNA technology that matched her to family samples. Mansfield’s conviction for multiple murders, including Elaine’s, was based on evidence recovered from his property and his prior offenses; he received life sentences.

Elaine’s identification ended years of uncertainty for her family and became part of a larger, multiagency effort that relied on advanced forensic methods to resolve cold cases. Does anyone have information about Elaine’s life before she went missing or memories to share that could add to the record?