Skeleton found in Coast swamp ID’d and cold case solved after 30 years, sheriff says

A skeleton found 30 years ago in a Vancleave swamp has finally been identified as a woman from Pennsylvania, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

Kimberly Ann Funk of Sharon, Pennsylvania, born Feb. 7, 1969, was identified using DNA, Sheriff Mike Ezell said in a press release.

The skeleton was found in a swampy area of Ward Bayou in February 1991, and officials considered it a homicide. Forensic examination determined it could have been there for up to three years. Forensics also showed the person was a Caucasian woman in her late 20s with brown hair.

Later that year, a clay model was made of the woman’s skull to help identify her, but no leads came in.

In 2012, Pascagoula Police Investigator, former Jackson County Coroner Vicki Broadus and sheriff’s investigators began looking at fatal cold cases. They sent the skull to the University of North Texas for DNA extraction with the latest technology.

The DNA information was uploaded to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database, but her identity wasn’t found.

In 2019, an anonymous donor allowed the Mississippi Crime Lab to fund more DNA research. Othram Inc. in The Woodlands, Texas, built a family tree with the DNA.

In March 2021, Othram identified a possible brother in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Investigators spoke with him, and he confirmed his sister, who went by the name “Star,” went missing in 1990. Using his DNA, they were able to confirm the skeleton’s identity.

Based on what the brother said, investigators determined Funk traveled from Houston to the Mississippi Coast between April and June 1990. Investigators are still trying to piece together a timeline between then and when her body was found.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 228-769-3063 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.

This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 12:10 PM.