BETH MILLER - 14 yo (1983) - Denver CO

It's been 26 years this month since Lynn McLaughlin last saw her
little sister, Beth. It was 1983, when Beth Miller, age 14, went out
for a jog. She hasn't been seen or heard from since.McLaughlin
says news that Jaycee Dugard, a California girl missing and found after
18 years, has given her hope for the first time in a while, her sister
may also be alive.

"As I watch the programs on the news the
hope creeps in, I haven't had hope in over 20 years and it's almost an
odd feeling. I never thought there would be hope again, that Beth is
alive and that keeps coming in my mind," McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin worked tirelessly to find her sister, and then her body, after she
accepted the fact she was dead. In 1994, 10 and half years after
Miller's disappearance Beth's mom asked a Clear Creek County Judge for
her daughter's death certificate.

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation more than 800 children are currently missing in
our state, and a case like Dugard's is very rare.

Assistant Director Steven Johnson says the story can give some families a false sense of hope.

"Everyone says, 'Wow, this gives all of us hope.' But unfortunately as time
continues to go on, once again that hope diminishes," he said.

McLaughlin admits she's not really sure what to do from here.

"I had quit looking and now there is so much guilt and so many questions
in my mind as to how I handled everything, maybe I need to pick
everything back up and start looking again," she said.

That may be harder said than done. McLaughlin moved form Clear Creek County
three years ago to start her life anew, and says she's finally happy
now. She married her high school sweetheart and is working as a fraud investigator in Durango.

McLaughlin says it would be nice if someone were able to pick up on Beth's case
where she left off. There are still many unanswered questions in the
case. Or perhaps, this story that opened old wounds for McLaughlin,
will do the same for whoever has information about Beth.

"You never know, whoever killed Beth, they are watching this too and
hopefully it makes them wonder and question or at least think about
making that phone call," she said.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3592095/detail.html

DNA Test Might Help Solve Beth Miller Case


Idaho Springs Teen Missing Almost 21 Years


DENVER -- Nearly 21 years after teenager Beth Miller disappeared, investigators hope that relatively new technology will help them find out what happened to her.

Miller was 14 when she disappeared after going for a jog on Aug. 16, 1983 in Idaho Springs. The only evidence discovered was found in Empire in 1994 -- a strand of hair, some bone fragments and a piece of fabric buried near Interstate 70.



The strand of hair was recently sent to the FBI for genetic testing for mitochondrial DNA, a method that has been around since the early 1990s. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation only recently received funding for these expensive tests on old cases, spokesman Pete Mang said.



Mitochondrial DNA is a mysterious strand of genetic material found outside the cell nucleus and apart from regular genes. Scientists believe each person's mitochondrial DNA is a thread passed through their maternal side of the family.



The hair found can be compared with a sample from Miller's mother, Mang said.



"We're doing this with a lot of old cases," he said. "In the last two to five years, we're doing a lot of things with DNA that we've never done before."



Miller was legally declared dead at her family's request in July 1994. In February 1995, a woman picked up by police in Tampa, Fla. claimed to be Miller but that turned out to be a hoax.



Miller's sister, Lynn Granger, is a dispatcher for the Black Hawk Police Department and the mayor of Georgetown. Her sister's case spurred her toward a career in law enforcement.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/miller_elizabeth.html