Skeletal remains discovered in a shallow grave in 2007 have been identified as a 39-year-old Florida woman who was never reported missing – while police are searching for her husband.
Jeana Lynn Burrus, who lived in Sarasota with her husband and son, was identified through DNA technology on Wednesday, marking a major breakthrough in the case which had been cold for 16 years.
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said the case was complicated by the fact she was never reported missing, so her whereabouts were not on the radar of detectives.
Jeana lived on the 6200 block of Pauline Avenue in the south-west Florida coast city with her husband, James Burrus, now 57, and their son James Burrus Jr, now 26.
Skeletal remains discovered in a shallow grave in 2007 have been identified as 39-year-old Florida woman Jeana Lynn Burrus, who was never reported missing
Burrus, who lived in Sarasota with her husband and son (pictured), was identified through DNA technology on Wednesday, marking a major breakthrough on the case which had been cold for 16 years. Her husband James Burrus has now been named a ‘person of interest’ by police
SCSO said Jeana was unemployed, while her husband worked at a local body shop on the 5600 block of Sarah Avenue in Sarasota, and their son attended Gulf Gate Elementary School
Her remains were found around three miles away in a wooded area of Ashton Ct. on February 6, 2007.
The investigation into the circumstances of her death remained cold until November 2022, when the SCSO, working with DNA Labs International Inc, used advancements in DNA testing and genetic genealogy to re-examine the remains.
Police announced the results on Wednesday, and launched an appeal for anyone who knew Jeana, her husband, or son, to come forward.
SCSO said Jeana was unemployed, while her husband worked at a local body shop on the 5600 block of Sarah Avenue in Sarasota and their son attended Gulf Gate Elementary School between 2005-06.
Prior to residing in Sarasota County, the couple lived in Citrus County, Florida, and Frederick, Maryland.
Jeana was involved in a serious road accident in 2003 when she was 35, according to a local paper report.
A Tampa Bay Times article from August of that year said she was driving west on Cypress Boulevard when her 1996 Chevrolet veered off the road and rolled over.
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She was thrown from the vehicle by the impact and she lost consciousness briefly after the accident, before walking for half a mile to a residence for help.
Jeana lived with her family on Pauline Avenue in the south-west Florida coast city of Sarasota
A deputy attended the house where she found refuge, and medics later took her by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital.
Jeana was cited for not having a valid driving license, careless driving, having an expired tag and failing to carry proof of insurance, according to the report.
As police search for information linked to her death, anyone with knowledge of Jeana or her family is asked to contact SCSO Detective Brian Ng at 941 861 4900.
The DNA discovery comes after the Florida murder victim known only as ‘Trunk Lady’ for 53 years was also finally identified by genetic evidence.
‘Trunk Lady’ was so called because she was discovered stuffed inside a trunk in a Florida field on Halloween day 1969 after being strangled with a Bolo tie.
Thanks to DNA breakthroughs, she was identified by St Petersburg Police Department in May as 41-year-old Arizona mother-of-five Sylvia June Atherton.
The force said the investigation began more than half a century ago, when two teenagers reported seeing two white men haul a trunk out from a pickup truck on 4200 block, 32nd Street South, which was then Oyster Bar.
Officers arrived on scene and found a woman’s body wrapped in plastic and wearing nothing but a pajama top stuffed inside the trunk.
‘Trunk Lady’: the cold case which has perplexed police for 53 years has finally been partly resolved through the identification of the victim as Sylvia June Atherton
They investigated but no leads were found, and the incident became one of St Petersburg’s oldest cold cases.
This was until May 2023, when police announced they had identified ‘Trunk Lady’ after more than half a century thanks to DNA breakthroughs – though her killer is still unknown.
