The Ontario Provincial Police have released a statement regarding the identification of the Nation River Lady, days after The Jackson Post first reported the news.
Jewell Parchman Langford, a Jackson business owner, went missing in 1975 in Montreal, Canada. Around the same time, a woman’s body was found in the Nation River. However, through the years, the two cases were never connected.
“In late 2019, a new DNA profile of the victim was obtained by the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto and submitted to a specialized lab in the United States. Through whole genome sequencing, the samples matched those collected from two individuals listed in a family DNA tree,” the release said.
“In 2020, the victim was subsequently identified as 48-year-old Jewell ‘Lalla’ Langford. This is believed to be the first case in Canada of this nature to identify human remains through Forensic Genealogy,” the release continued.
According to Langford’s family, their DNA was used to connect the cases, and finally bring them closure almost 50 years later.
“So it was a big, big deal and then over the years the couldn’t be couldn’t identify who she was,” said Detective Inspector Daniel Nadeau, Major Case Manager, OPP Criminal Investigation Branch in an interview with The Post, “And for many, many years, the detectives did some work and did some media releases and tried to identify this lady, and it went like that for many, many years. Until recently, we were able to, with the advancement of genetic genealogy and the science and the collective commitment of all the investors involved. We’re able to bring resolution to the family. So it is a big case. And we’re very happy to be able to give some resolution to the family back in Tennessee.”
81-year-old Rodney Nichols, who now lives in Florida, has been charged with the murder of Jewell Parchman Langford. Ontario Police have been careful to not say specifics, but say Langford and Nichols knew each other. Nichols is now awaiting extradition to Canada.
“So what I can say though, is that the detectives did a lot of good work and documented all of their evidence very well. And that’s going to be very helpful for us. And it was very helpful to be able to lay a charge in this case,” Nadeau said.
Julia Ewoldt, julia@jacksonpost.news
