The human remains found in a suitcase along a Gwinnett County interstate last week are that of a woman between 20 and 30 years old, the Gwinnett Medical Examiner's Office said Monday.

The woman is believed to be mixed race with mostly white ancestry or Hispanic.

The woman died six months ago based on the decomposition, but the medical examiner’s officer is still trying to determine the cause of death, Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Michele Pihera said.

According to Gwinnett County police records, there were no missing person cases that match the remains, Pihera said.

“The lead investigator will reach out to other agencies to see if this matches one of their cases,” she said.

The remains were found in a suitcase Friday morning by a Georgia Department of Transportation worker in a wooded area along I-985 northbound between the I-85 split and Buford Drive, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Anyone with information should call Gwinnett police at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can also remain anonymous, and are eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting crimestoppersatlanta.org.

Staff writer Laura Cardona contributed to this article.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Amber Hicks’ father, Mark Boggs (center), hugs Hicks’ cousin Kirstyn Bauer upon hearing the life sentence for Matthew Lanz on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. Lanz was convicted a day earlier in the 2021 killings of Hicks and her husband, Justin, in their Acworth home. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. 
(Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez