Remains found in shallow grave at DC apartment building ID'd as women who vanished in 2006

These photos show remains that were found in two separate locations in southeast Washington D.C. this past April. (Metropolitan Police Department)

Remains found buried in a Washington D.C. neighborhood have been identified as those of three women who disappeared months apart in 2006, authorities announced Wednesday.

At a news conference, D.C. police said the remains were those of 48-year-old Jewel King, who vanished in April 2006; 41-year-old Verdell Jefferson, who was reported missing in August 2006; and 43-year-old Dorothy Botts, who was last seen on Christmas Day of that year.

Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham said King and Botts were believed to have been fatally shot, while Jefferson is believed to have been killed by blunt force trauma.

The first set of remains were found on April 25 of this year by a construction crew in a crawl space of an apartment building at 113 Wayne Place SE. More remains were found days later in a shallow grave behind an adjacent building, at 111 Wayne Place SE.

Newsham said all three women are believed to have lived near the neighborhood where they were found, and added that Jefferson lived on the same block. He also said that all three women are believed to have been buried at around the same time.

Police are offering $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest in connection with the killings.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099.

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