LINCOLNVILLE, Kan. — More than three decades after a woman’s body was found in a rural area of Kansas, authorities have identified the victim.

Michelle Carnall-Burton, 22, of Wichita, Kansas, went missing in 1987. On Monday, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said DNA testing showed that a previously unidentified murder victim found in 1987 near Lincolnville, Kansas, was Carnall-Burton.

The victim was discovered by a Marion County road crew on Sept. 21, 1987, but the remains were too decomposed to identify at the time.

KBI officials said DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy searching that began in February 2019 found a distant cousin of the victim who had submitted DNA to an online service. That match led investigators to determine that the victim was closely related to the Carnall family, formerly of Cherryvale, Kansas.

Michelle Carnall-Burton’s parents, who now live in Corpus Christi, Texas, both submitted DNA samples. KBI officials said testing confirmed that the remains belonged to their missing daughter.

No arrests were ever made but KBI said it continues to pursue leads. The agency was assisted by the DNA Doe Project in identifying Carnall-Burton.