Joyvaline "Joy" Martinez, who went missing in October of 2003, has been identified as one of the three women whose remains were found in New Britain in 2007, according to police.
The bodies were found in a wooded area behind the intersection of Route 9 and Hartford Road.
Police haven't released a cause of death for any of the three women but say they're treating the cases as three homicides.
The resident who discovered them was looking for hunting ground behind the strip mall at 593 Hartford Road, according to police.
Martinez, who has been referred to throughout the investigation as Jane Doe Number One, would have been 33 this year.
She was almost 24 when she disappeared and was last seen in East Hartford, where she lived, according to police.
Family members said Martinez had been missing for months before they contacted police. She was last seen on Oct. 10, 2003 and was reported missing on March 29, 2004.
Local
Martinez's mother, Maria Mates, provided a sample of her own DNA, which ultimately led investigators to make the identification.
"She's going to still be my baby," said Mates. "A lot of pain... It's going to be hard for me."
Martinez was her youngest daughter.
Family members said Martinez was living with her mother when she disappeared and was unemployed but looking for work.
As a teenager, she was a track star at Middletown High School.
Family members said now that the identification is official, they'll give Martinez a proper burial.
Martinez was one of three women whose bodies were found behind a New Britain strip mall in 2007. Police said a man was walking in the area when he discovered the remains.
Two of the women have now been identified. In 2011, police identified Jane Doe Number Two as Diane Cusack, of New Britain. Cusack would have been 58 this year.
Police are still working to identify the remains of Jane Doe Number Three.
Investigators said they're still trying to figure out how the women died, but they aren't ruling out the possibility that all three were killed by the same person.
Facial reconstructions from the skulls helped police figure out what the woman may have looked like.
In 2010, police said they couldn't locate the skull from Jane Doe Number Three, but could tell from her leg bones that she was between 20 and 30 years old and was probably athletic.
Police said the remains could have been hidden behind the strip mall for up to 20 years, and are asking for help in figuring out how and why the women died.
"The Martinez Family and Cusack Family are looking for answers about the deaths of their loved ones," said New Britain Police Capt. Thomas Steck, in a statement. "We would like to provide them, but cannot do it alone. We believe members of the public may have information about these investigations which can help us move them forward and bring some sense closure [sic] for the victims' families."
Anyone with information should contact the New Britain Police Dept. Criminal Investigation Division at 860-826-3120, call the anonymous tip line at 860-826-3199 or submit a tip online at newbritainpolice.org.
