Castleberry Kate Identified as Sonya Alice Langan After 37 Years

Investigators in Bullhead City, Arizona, have an update on a 37-year-old cold case. For decades, they called her Castleberry Kate. But now, they say they have given her name back. The long-awaited Castleberry Kate identified update brings a major break in a case that had gone unsolved for decades.

On May 15, 1989, a construction crew discovered skeletal remains buried in a vacant lot on Castleberry Lane in Bullhead City. At the time, investigators believed the victim was somewhere between 17 and 19 years old. They believed she died somewhere between two and 10 years before she they found her. That puts the estimated time of death within a broad window between 1979 and 1987.

Investigators said she had shoulder-length brown hair that may have been partially bleached. She also had extensive dental work and was wearing a distinctive multicolored owl earring. While they did not know her name, they knew for sure this was a homicide because they recovered a bullet from her skull. And because they couldn’t find any information about her they identified her as Castleberry Kate

For years, investigators kept working the case, but they never found leads or suspects and made no arrests. Then, in 2024, the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit approached Bullhead City Police about a possible federal grant for forensic genetic genealogy testing. They received grant approval, and submitted the evidence to the DNA Doe Project.

By late 2025, investigative genetic genealogists with the DNA Doe Project had identified Sonya Langan as a likely match. Detectives then contacted surviving relatives, who cooperated with the investigation and provided DNA samples to confirm the identification. In May 2026, Sonya Alice Langan was positively identified. That Castleberry Kate identified breakthrough finally answered the question of who the victim was.

This case also highlights the original investigative team and the way they collected and preserved the evidence. Back in 1989, they had no idea DNA technology would one day be where it is now. Still, what they did then gave investigators a usable sample that helped identify the remains and may help bring some closure to the family.

The case is different from many others because detectives learned didn’t formally report Sonya missing to law enforcement. According to surviving family members, she left home around 1982, when she was about 17 to 18 years old. They told investigators there were strained family relationships, and extended periods without contact were not uncommon. Because of that, relatives believed she had left on her own because she was unhappy at home. Up until that time the family did not know that the person they identified as Castleberry Kate was their relative.

More from CRIMEALTYICS®: Arrest in Randy Gail Sperino Cold Case

Family members also told investigators that Sonya had dropped out of Kingman High School as a freshman in 1979, before the family moved to Bullhead City. They recalled living near River Glen Drive, and they said Sonya worked at Burger King before she left home. Even after speaking with family, police still had very little to go on. They knew who she was, but relatives were not able to provide many details because they believed she had left voluntarily.

Now the focus has shifted. Bullhead City police investigators and Sonya’s family are searching for answers about who did this to her. Even with the Castleberry Kate identified news, the homicide itself remains unsolved, and investigators are still trying to piece together what happened after Sonya left home.

Anyone who knew Sonya Langan, or who has information about her disappearance or death, is asked to contact the Bullhead City Police Department at 928-763-9200 and ask to speak with detectives. After all these years, even a small detail could be the key investigators need. Sonya Alice Langan has her name back. The next step is finding who killed her.

Connect with CRIMEALYTICS®

For more CRIMEALYTICS® case analysis, updates, and missing-person coverage, subscribe on YouTube, listen on your favorite podcast app, follow @crimealtyics on social media, or submit a case suggestion.