Human Remains From 2001 Cold Case Identified by Placer County Sheriff

FORESTHILL — The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has officially identified human remains discovered on March 20th, 2001, as those of Zania Lynette Williams, born in 1966. Williams disappeared around Christmas of 2000 at the age of 34. Her skeletal remains were found on Driver’s Flat Road in Foresthill but could not be identified for almost 25 years.

The breakthrough came through the efforts of the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Investigations team, established in 2023. Investigators from both the Sheriff’s Office and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office reopened the case, employing advanced forensic technologies, including genetic genealogy, to aid their work.

In 2009, a DNA profile was extracted from the remains. Recently, the Sheriff’s Office sent this profile to Othram, an accredited forensic laboratory in Texas, to prepare it for genetic genealogy analysis. The Sheriff’s Office also collaborated with the Investigative Genealogy Center at Ramapo College to identify potential relatives. Through the partnership, a DNA sample was obtained from one of Williams’ relatives, and a match was confirmed in March of 2025.

The circumstances surrounding Williams’ death remain under investigation. Williams had never been listed as a missing person. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information to contact them at PCSOTipLine@placer.ca.gov.