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Police identify woman whose body was found at a California construction site in 2001

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More than two decades after a woman's body was found at a construction site near Los Angeles, police have identified her as a mother who last had contact with her family in 1981.

Catherine Parker-Johnson's remains were identified earlier this year through DNA comparisons with her daughter and sister, Redondo Beach police said in a statement Friday.

Cold Case Body Identified
This undated photo released by Redondo Beach Police Department investigators shows Catherine Parker-Johnson. More than two decades after a woman's body was found at a construction site near Los Angeles, police have identified her as Parker-Johnson, a mother who last had contact with her family in 1981. (Redondo Beach Police Department via AP) / AP

The last time her family was in contact with Parker-Johnson was May 1981 in the Lennox area of Los Angeles, the statement said. She had not been reported missing, police said.

The body was discovered Aug. 29, 2001 during a construction project on a residential street in the city of Redondo Beach. Police said there was an investigation at the time but they were not able to identify the body.

There is now an active homicide investigation into Parker-Johnson's death, officials said.

Additional details were not immediately available. Police have scheduled a news conference for Monday morning to discuss the case and ask for help from the public.

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