Amateur internet investigators Kevin Lord, Lori Gaff and Missy Koski

A long-unsolved Gregg County homicide that was resolved with the assistance of amateur sleuths is the focus of NBC News’ “Dateline” at 9 p.m. today.

“The Woman with No Name” tells the story of a woman known for 13 years only as “Lavender Doe,” until DNA identified her as Dana Lynn Dodd. She was 21 when her body was found Oct. 29, 2006, on an oil lease off Fritz Swanson Road north of Texas 31. Two men found her body face down on a burning woodpile.

The DNA Doe Project announced Jan. 29, 2019, that it had identified Dodd.

The description of tonight’s episode says, “Police are perplexed when they find the body of a young woman but aren’t able to identify her. When the case gets the attention of amateur internet investigators, they begin referring to the mystery woman as ‘Lavender Doe,’ a reference to the distinctive color shirt she was found in. With the help of the armchair detectives and new DNA technology, a dogged investigator finds her killer — and her identity.”

Tonight’s story is reported by Keith Morrison.

“Well, several things attracted us (to this story) — certainly the idea that individuals acting independently, amateurs, would become sleuths who could cooperate with law enforcement to solve crimes which had been insoluble for decades, even generations, is a revolutionary idea. And we wanted to explore that.”

The broadcast includes interviews with Gregg County Sheriff’s Lt. Eddie Hope; amateur internet investigators Kevin Lord, Lori Gaff and Missy Koski; DNA Doe Project’s Margaret Press; and others.

Morrison said in an email that the work of the amateur investigators was “crucial” to solving the case.

“They were able to make connections which could only be made by the kind of genealogy, which has become possible and popular these days,” he said. “Not only that, but then the online detective work that had to be done to connect the dots from there to the actual person involved was very time consuming. It required multiple people, more resources and time than any police department can afford to put in. They worked together with investigators surprisingly well. I’d always thought that police departments were a little reluctant to accept outside help as they tried to solve serious crimes, but in this case, certainly I gather in many cases, police departments are welcoming help from the outside, from people who have some knowledge and ability to do sort of research that needs to be done.”

A suspect was identified in Dodd’s death, Joseph Wayne Burnette. He also became a suspect in the disappearance and death of Felisha Pearson in 2018, after her body was found in the woods off Birdsong Street in Longview. He later confessed to killing both women by strangling them with rope. In December, Burnette pleaded guilty to killing both women and he was sentenced to 50 years for the two murder charges and for failing to register as a sex offender. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Morrison said he hopes this report drives home the idea that every individual is important, no matter who they are or where they’re from.

“No one has forgotten. Everyone is important,” Morrison said.