DNA Test Confirms Skull Is That of Missing 7-Year-Old
DNA tests confirmed that a skull found last month is that of a 7-year-old girl who disappeared in 1999, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday.
DNA from Xiana Fairchild’s toothbrush was compared with a tooth that was found in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A road worker found part of the skull and two pieces of the jaw on Jan. 19.
The Santa Clara County medical examiner said Xiana’s death was caused by “homicidal violence” but would not disclose further details.
“Since December 1999 we’ve been trying to find out what happened to Xiana Fairchild,” said Vallejo Police Chief Robert Nichelini. “Now, today, unfortunately we know.”
Xiana’s mother, Antoinette Robinson, reported her missing Dec. 9, 1999. She was last seen leaving for school in Vallejo, about 60 miles north of San Jose.
Robinson’s boyfriend, Robert Turnbough, told police he had left the girl at a bus stop, but later said she walked alone to catch the bus. Though police never said he was a suspect, they said he had been under “a cloud of suspicion.”
A federal grand jury questioned Turnbough and Robinson six times last year.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
