By admin 
BULLHEAD CITY, AZ (AZFamily) — A cold case homicide victim known for decades in Bullhead City as “Castleberry Kate” has been identified, Bullhead City police officials said.
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The young woman was identified as Sonya Alice Langan, who officials said had never been reported missing.
Langan’s remains were found buried in a vacant lot on Castleberry Lane on May 15, 1989, by a construction crew, officials said. Evidence indicated she was between 17 and 19 years old and had been dead between two and 10 years.
A bullet was recovered from her skull, confirming she was the victim of a homicide, officials said. The case went cold and the woman remained unidentified for decades.
In 2024, a grant for forensic genealogy testing was approved and evidence was submitted to the DNA Doe Project.
“Investigative genetic genealogists were able to develop a 99% match identifying the victim as Sonya Langan in late 2025,” Bullhead City police officials said.
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Detectives followed up with living relatives and learned that Langan was never reported missing because the family believed she had left her home due to unhappiness in 1982. She was 17 or 18 at the time, family members said.
Langan’s homicide case remains open and under investigation, police said. Police asked anyone who knew Langan or has information about her disappearance to call the Bullhead City Police Department at (928) 763-9200 to speak with detectives.
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