Sacramento County Sheriff's Office

Sacramento County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Lily Ann Prendergast was a 26 year old woman living in Dallas, Texas at the time of her disappearance in late 1980. Her older brother, William, described his sister as a free spirit and someone who frequently hitchhiked. William remembers the last time he saw his little sister when she left her father’s home after an argument and was heartbroken when he never saw or heard from her again, even on his birthday, a time when he could always expect at least a phone call.

On October 27, 1981, investigators with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office were alerted to human remains found on the side of I-5 in Sacramento, CA. Upon arriving, they discover partial human remains that, upon further investigation, are determined to belong to a Caucasian woman between the ages of 25 and 35 years old. In their search to identify the young woman, police also announced that the individual would have stood around 5’5” tall and had long brown hair. 

To help identify this young woman, police submitted the collected DNA profile to the National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NamUs) along with both the state and national missing persons DNA database, in 2005. In 2019, Lily’s brother, William, submits his DNA to the FBI, with hopes of finally finding his long-lost sister, nearly 40 years after he saw her for the last time. 

In February of 2020, the FBI alerted the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office of a recent match to their Jane Doe. Thanks to William’s DNA contribution, investigators were able to positively identify the remains found in 1981 as 26 year old Lily Ann Prendergast 

Though Lily's case doesn’t have many details, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has labeled her case as a homicide investigation, though no cause of death was determined. Additionally, investigators announced in 2020 that they believe that Lily had been killed 1-5 months before the discovery of her body. Police are asking that anyone with information regarding Lily’s case please contact the Sacramento County Sheriff Office at (916) 874-TIPS (8477). 

Lily is last seen leaving her family's home after an argument in Dallas, TX in late 1980. Lily's family tells investigators that she is known to hitchhike frequently and that she has family and other connections in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas. 

On October 27, 1981, investigators with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office are alerted to remains discovered on the side of I-5 in Sacramento, near the Freeport Boulevard overpass. At the time, investigators note that the partial skeletal remains belong to a Caucasian adult woman, who was between 25 and 35 years old at the time of her death. They also noted that the individual likely would have been around 5'5" tall with long brown hair, and had been killed 1-5 months before the discovery of her remains. At this time, the individual remains unidentified.

In 2005, DNA collected from the unidentified remains are entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), along with the state and national Missing Persons DNA database, hoping for an identification. 

The DNA profile of the remains are entered into a DNA program

Lily's older brother, William, submitted his DNA to the FBI in 2019, with hopes of finding his sister who disappeared nearly 40 years earlier. 

Lily's brother submits his DNA to the FBI

In February of 2020, The FBI alerts investigators with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office of a match to their Jane Doe. After William submitted his DNA, investigators were able to match the familial DNA reference from him to the unidentified remains, revealing the victim as Lily Ann Prendergast. 

The FBI alerts investigators of a DNA match

Police make the official announcement that the remains found on I-5 in Sacramento, CA have been identified and that they belong to Lily Ann Prendergast. The investigation at this point is labeled as a homicide investigation, though they were not able to determine a cause of death. 

Police announce that the remains have been identified

Partial skeletal remains were on the side of I-5 near Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento, CA on October 27, 1981. 

Lily was last seen leaving her family's home in Dallas, TX in late 1980. 

Lily Ann Prendergast was a 26 year old woman living in Dallas, Texas at the time of her disappearance in late 1980. Her older brother, William, described his sister as a free spirit, someone who frequently hitchhiked, and had connections in Ohio, Texas, Georgia, and Florida. Remains found in Sacramento County, CA in 1981 were determined to belong to Lily in 2020. 

Small tattoo of a flower, described as a "Mexican Rose" on right hip area. Believed to be a smoker. 

Lily's older brother who remembers her leaving their Dallas home in late 1980, and never seeing her again. He submitted his DNA to the FBI in 2019, with hopes of finally finding his sister. 

California

If you have any information regarding Lily's case, please contact the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office at (916) 874-TIPS (8477). 

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Lily's case hasn't received much media attention since the identification of her remains in 2020. Please share her story on Twitter to help raise awareness. 

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To learn more about Sacramento County's cold case homicides, please visit their website. 

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