SPRING, Texas (KBTX) – Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit has identified the remains of Kristen Galvan, a Houston-area teen who went missing in January 2020 after she was a victim of human trafficking. She was 15 at the time of her disappearance.<\/p>\n
In November 2022, the Office of the Attorney General\u2019s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit received a request for assistance from the Missouri City Police Department regarding unidentified human remains recovered Jan. 29, 2020. An autopsy and anthropological examination determined the victim was female, between 13 and 18 years old, and an apparent victim of homicide.<\/p>\n
The condition of the remains prevented the development of a standard DNA profile, making advanced testing necessary. The unit worked with the University of North Texas to develop a mitochondrial DNA profile that provided initial leads.<\/p>\n
Because the case involved a juvenile, the unit partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Doe Network also assisted and was instrumental in connecting the remains to Galvan through its databases and volunteer research.<\/p>\n
Over the past year, the unit and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children collaborated extensively. Advanced forensic investigative genetic genealogy work, conducted with Bode Technology and Astrea Forensics, resulted in the positive identification of the victim as Galvan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI launched my Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit to secure justice for victims and to provide closure to families whose lives have been forever changed by violent crime,\u201d Paxton said. \u201cRight now, I ask every Texan to join me in praying for Kristen Galvan\u2019s family during this unimaginably difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Galvan\u2019s family issued a statement following the identification.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor more than six years, we searched for our beautiful daughter, Kristen. Through every unanswered question, every lead, every sleepless night, and every heartbreak, we never gave up. We held onto hope that one day we would have answers and be able to bring our daughter home,\u201d the family said.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, while our hearts are shattered beyond words, we are grateful that Kristen will be finally home with her family. Nothing can erase the pain of losing her or the years that were taken from us, but bringing her home allows us to lay her to rest with the love and dignity she has always deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
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