Chong Un Kim

Chong Un Kim was a young woman who moved to the United States from Korea in 1981 to build a new life. She settled in Hinesville, Georgia, a community in Liberty County adjacent to the Fort Stewart military installation. For years, she lived there, thousands of miles from her homeland. At the age of 26, her life was cut short, and for decades, those who loved her had no idea what had happened to her.

On Valentine's Day, Sunday, February 14, 1988, a man searching for aluminum cans in a dumpster just north of Millen in Jenkins County, Georgia, made a grim discovery. Inside the bin was a large, brown nylon and canvas suitcase. The Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene and found the body of a young woman inside. She was wrapped in plastic and bound with duct tape. An autopsy later concluded that she had died from asphyxiation and had been deceased for four to seven days before her body was found.

For the next 35 years, the woman remained nameless, known only as "Jane Millen Doe" or "Jenkins County Jane Doe." The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was brought in to lead the homicide case from the start. In the years that followed, investigators pursued every available avenue. They checked her fingerprints and dental records against national missing persons databases, but found no match. A GBI forensic artist created a sketch of her face, and later the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children produced a computer-generated image, both of which were circulated in the hopes that someone might recognize her.

As forensic science advanced, investigators resubmitted evidence from the crime scene to the GBI Crime Lab for additional testing. While DNA was successfully recovered from the items, the profiles were not eligible for entry into the CODIS DNA Database, the national system used to compare DNA profiles. The trail went cold again. Jenkins County Sheriff Robert Oglesby, who inherited the case from previous sheriffs, noted that over the decades, "There were several people that were talked to and thought they might have seen something, but nothing ever really panned out."

The crucial break in the case came in 2023 when the GBI partnered with Othram Inc., a Texas-based laboratory that specializes in using advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy to solve cold cases. The funding for the expensive testing was provided by Project Justice, a donor group dedicated to resolving unsolved crimes. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive genealogical profile from the decades-old evidence. This profile led investigators to potential relatives, and through their work, Jane Millen Doe was finally identified as Chong Un Kim.

In October 2023, the GBI announced the identification and confirmed they had notified Kim’s family, including her sister who lives in New York, bringing an end to 35 years of uncertainty about her whereabouts. While identifying her was a major step forward, authorities emphasized that the case was far from over. In a statement, the GBI affirmed, "There is still work to be done to solve the mystery surrounding Kim’s death, and we will work relentlessly to bring justice and closure to her family."

As of October 2023, the homicide of Chong Un Kim remains unsolved. The GBI is now seeking to piece together the final days of her life and is asking for the public’s help. Investigators are urging anyone who knew Chong Un Kim during her time in Hinesville or has any information at all about her case to come forward.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI at 912-871-1121. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online via the GBI's tip submission website, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile application.