Remains of ‘Valentine Sally’ identified after nearly 40 years

The Coconino County Sheriff ’s Office has identified the body dubbed “Valentine Sally” as 17-year-old Carolyn Eaton of St. Louis nearly 40 years after the body was discovered.

An Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper was assisting a motorist when they discovered Eaton’s body west of Williams on the north side of Interstate 40 on Feb. 14, 1982, thus becoming the “Valentine Sally Case.”

Multiple detectives worked on the case over the decades until it transitioned to cold case detectives when the leads ran dry.

The sheriff’s office issued a written statement on Monday saying it worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, National Missing and Unidentified Person System and the Arizona Department of Public Safety to identify Eaton’s body using DNA.

The agencies used a private company to compare the body’s DNA to others submitted to online databases where they discovered a relative to Eaton.

“Through this process, detectives were able to locate potential family members of Carolyn, obtain DNA samples from them, and confirm the identity of the body as Carolyn,” the agency said. “Identification of unidentified victims is a difficult and lengthy process and can be costly to agencies looking to identify victims of crimes.”

The agency said an NCMEC grant allowed it to pay for the familial DNA search through a private company that ultimately connected Eaton’s body to potential family members.

Detectives traveled to the St. Louis area to interview family members who told them that a sibling had ran away from home around Christmas in 1981. The detectives took DNA samples from the relatives and found they matched with Eaton’s body.

Although detectives managed to finally identify Eaton’s body, what caused her death remains a mystery.

“Now that the victim has been identified, Detectives are working leads that have been developed to identify any possible suspects,” the agency said. “Detectives, along with the Cold Case Squad of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office continue to vigorously work this case. At this time, there are no suspects identified but the case remains under investigation as a homicide.”