SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. -- The Shasta County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) announced on Friday that a skull, discovered in 2013 near the Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District (A.C.I.D.) canal in Redding, has been identified as Velma Louise Silva Lee of Napa, bringing closure to a mystery that spanned more than a decade.

Officials said the remains were initially found by a cleanup crew behind the Department of Fish and Wildlife building, prompting investigators to call in forensic anthropologists from Chico State's Human Identification Lab. However, despite the DNA being entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the SCSO said no matches were found.

Then, in 2023, the Sheriff's Office said the Shasta County Coroner's Office collaborated with Othram, Inc. -- a laboratory specializing in forensic genetic genealogy -- to conduct advanced DNA analysis, leading to the identification of Velma Lee.

According to the SCSO, Velma Lee was never been reported missing. Officials said contact was made with her much younger half-sister and other relatives, confirming her identity. On July 25, 2025, a detective from the Redding Police Department reached out to Lee's son, who provided a DNA sample for confirmatory testing. On Sept. 15, 2025, Othram officially identified the remains as Velma Lee.

Officials said Lee's family has been notified, and they are working with the Shasta County Coroner's Office to lay her to rest.

This case is part of the Project Doe Initiative, the Sheriff's Office said, which aims to restore names to long-term unidentified decedents. The Shasta County Coroner's Office expressed gratitude to all partners involved.