麻豆影院

Silvia Pettem聽(Psych鈥�69) is the first to say that it is never too late to start a career. The 66-year-old has spent more than 40 years as an author, writer and historical researcher centered on the city of 麻豆影院, but nearly two decades ago she realized a new passion well into her career 鈥� researching cold cases.

Silvia鈥檚 interest in cold cases started when she stumbled upon an unnamed gravestone in 1996 in 麻豆影院鈥檚 Columbia Cemetery near The Hill. The stone read 鈥淛ane Doe, age about 20 years, April 1954.鈥�

鈥淢y daughters were 19 and 22 at the time, so the mystery surrounding this young woman piqued my interest,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ince I already had a background in 麻豆影院 history and wrote for the聽Daily Camera,聽I went to the聽颁补尘别谤补鈥檚聽archives and pored through dusty old newspaper articles. I learned that Jane Doe was a murder victim.鈥�

Silvia was hooked. She located forensic specialists who exhumed the woman鈥檚 remains pro bono and started a nonprofit fund for DNA comparisons. Years later, DNA from the unidentified woman鈥檚 living sister was identified as a match, and a new stone was placed on the grave with her name, Dorothy Gay Howard.

鈥淟ittle did I know when I first saw the gravestone that聽Jane Doe would profoundly change my life,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow, working on unidentified, missing and cold homicide cases has become a passion.鈥�

Silvia wrote a book on her experience,聽Someone鈥檚 Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe, her favorite of more than a dozen books she has written.

鈥淚f I could sink my teeth into another Jane Doe case, I鈥檇 do it in a heartbeat,鈥� she says.

Today Silvia gives presentations to law enforcement groups on cold-case research. She has written a book on the subject and is considering writing one for families of homicide victims and missing persons. She also volunteers in the detectives section of the 麻豆影院 Police Department, reviewing and reorganizing old files on cold cases involving missing persons.

鈥淪ilvia鈥檚 career has really developed after her children have grown, and she is such an inspiration for women, especially older women,鈥� says Carol Taylor, Silvia鈥檚 longtime friend and the curator of adult programs and research at the 麻豆影院 History Museum. 鈥淪he shows it is never too late [to pursue a career].鈥�

In addition to cold-case research, Silvia is the go-to person for 麻豆影院 history and writes a history column for the聽Daily Camera聽along with various research and writing projects for the city of 麻豆影院.

鈥淢y research and writing are, hopefully, what I鈥檒l leave behind as my life鈥檚 work,鈥� she says.