In December 1996, a woman was found in a Virginia cemetery next to a decorated Christmas tree. For more than 25 years, she remained unidentified, known as The Christmas Tree Lady. It wasn’t until 2022, through DNA genealogy, that her true identity was revealed.

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Sources for this episode:

• “245UFVA.” Doe Network: International Center For Missing and Unidentified Persons, https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/245ufva.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawMxrUZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFFWFk5bDdub1VnRmhaeFhqAR4E9b-SnCzNBRKT4-dSjYOSCQoATcWjAeL6Jl43eBcX7WwI0Ac2NSm2FuFrHA_aem_KzIL33gu-_GCvYM0kvzRBg. Accessed 13 Sept. 2025.
• Click2Houston, 2. Solving Cold Cases with DNA: Othram’s Breakthrough Forensic Lab. YouTube, 20 Mar. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApdcjBLMrS4.
• “FamilySearch.Org.” FamilySearch.Org, https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GXGW-VFN/joyce-marilyn-meyer-1927-1996. Accessed 13 Sept. 2025.
• Jackman, Tom. “She Died and Became the ‘Christmas Tree Lady.’ Now We Know Her Name.” 245UFVA, https://www.doenetwork.org/closed/articles/245UFVA_article.pdf. Accessed 13 Sept. 2025.
• A woman who took her own life in a Fairfax cemetery is an Iowa native, but many other questions remain
• Kalmbacher, Colin. “Joyce Marilyn Meyer Sommers Identified in Suicide Cold Case.” Law & Crime, 7 July 2022, https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/dna-testing-gives-solace-to-family-of-missing-woman-by-solving-1996-suicide-case-of-the-christmas-tree-lady/#disqus_thread.
• Miller, Jax. “Virginia’s ‘Christmas Tree Lady’ Identified As Joyce Meyer.” Oxygen, Oxygen, 8 July 2022, https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/virginias-christmas-tree-lady-identified-as-joyce-meyer.
• Staff. “‘The Christmas Tree Lady’: DNA Match Helps Solve 25-Year-Old Cold Case.” WHAM, https://www.facebook.com/13wham, 7 July 2022, https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/the-christmas-tree-lady-dna-match-helps-solve-25-year-old-cold-case-joyce-meyer-fairfax-county-jane-doe-identified.
• Vogen, Michael. “After 25 Years, ‘Christmas Tree Lady’ Is Identified.” DNASolves.Com, DNASolves®, 7 July 2022, https://dnasolves.com/articles/christmas-tree-lady-joyce-sommers/.

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