SoCal victim identified after 17 years

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A woman killed and burned beyond recognition has been identified through DNA -- after 17 years -- cold-case sheriff's investigators in Los Angeles said.

The remains of Gail Catherine Allen were identified Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Allen, who was 20, had previously been known as Jane Doe No. 59.

Her nude body was found Oct. 28, 1995, at the bottom of an embankment in an unincorporated area of Covina. She was inside a sleeping bag that had been set fire and thrown down a hill, investigators said. She was burned beyond recognition.

DNA samples from Allen's parents received early this year by Morro Bay detectives helped identify the body.

Allen, who was believed to have worked at a fast-food restaurant in Morro Bay, was reported missing by a friend days before her body was found.