Victim of 1986 homicide identified in St. Tammany Parish

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A Florida woman whose body was found in Lake Pontchartrain 38 years ago has finally been identified.

“They identified her as Pamela Lee Hupp, who’s also known as Deborah Gayle Justice, who was born in April of 1958. And she was, in fact, pregnant at the time of the murder,” St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Lieutenant Suzanne Carboni announced.

A fisherman found Pamela Lee Hupp’s body in the lake on June 19th, 1986. However, Lieutenant Carboni says due to the lack of technology available back then, they were unable to identify her or match her with any missing individuals and became known simply as “Lake Lady Jane Doe.” Using genealogy and DNA testing, and through interviews with family members, investigators were finally able to put a name with the body. Carboni says the process was long and hard, but it was worth it.

“Our detectives never gave up on this case. They never give up on any case. They continued working every time they found some kind of technology or some kind of resource available. They used this to try and identify this individual,” Carboni said.

Now, the task is finding Hupp’s killer, assuming that person is still alive.

“If we can get some help with anybody who knew her during that time period to call us and give us any information that may lead to who she may have been with during that time,” Carboni said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

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