Durham Police Department Hosts Press Conference on Remains of Turtle Mountain Woman

DURHAM, N.C. - During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, the Durham Police Department released information to the public on Melissa "Missy" Poitra. Poitra is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and had been Durham's Jane Doe since her body was discovered in plastic tote container at a nearby self-storage facility on October 22, 2016.

Native News Online reported on Tuesday, May 4 that a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa was identified through a DNA test on April 27, 2021 by the Durham Police Department in North Carolina. "Missy" Poitra had been missing since 2005 and had been decaying in a storage unit for up to ten years when she was found in 2016.

Her body was reported to police by people cleaning out a storage unit after they discovered bones protruding out of a plastic container. The storage unit was being cleaned out because the renter of the storage unit had recently died the Durham Police said.

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/durham-police-department-hosts-press-conference-on-remains-of-turtle-mountain-woman