Embrey has been missing since 1953. Born in 1934, Embrey grew up on a farm near Maywood, moving to North Platte following her graduation from high school in 1952. She worked at the North Platte Cafe. Then 18, Twylia quit her job and vanished. Embrey is described as a vivacious tomboy who loved her horse and hated her father. She once vowed that after she graduated from high school, her family would never see her again.

After 51 years, no one from the family has heard from her.

Two University of Colorado students hiking about four miles west of town found the Boulder Jane Doe. She had been dumped over the side of an embankment, battered and nude. Reports at the time say she was alive when dumped. No clothing was ever recovered. Some bobby pins and an appendectomy scar were all that investigators at the time had in the way of evidence. She was estimated to be between 17-20 years old.

Jennifer Kitt of North Platte said Thursday that sheriff's detective Steve Ainsworth was in North Platte last week to collect a DNA sample from Twylia's sister, Mildred Garner.

"We originally thought they had ruled Twylia out," Kitt said. "Then I had a call from Frank Bender who did the forensic sculpture and he said he thought he saw a few things that were similar to Twylia."

Bender is a nationally renowned forensic sculptor and the co-founder of the Vidocq Society, an organization that is dedicated to solving "cold cases."

Lt. Phil West of the Boulder County Sheriff's office is in charge of Jane Doe's case.

"We are sorting through all sorts of other leads," West said. "There have been a number of phone calls and e-mails as a result of the release of the sculpture."

West said he has not ruled out the possibility that his Jane Doe is Twylia Embrey.

"Frank Bender explained the potential for distortion in photos," West said. "There were enough points of comparison to do the DNA testing. I am inclined to think it is not Twylia Embrey, but it sure would be a nice resolution if it is."

At a press conference in Boulder, Bender said he was confident that the bust would "ring a bell," with someone. "I wouldn't release it if I weren't reasonably sure it looked like her."

Jane Doe's body was exhumed last year, and a forensic anthropologist at the Human Identification Laboratory in Tucson, Ariz., spent up to four weeks piecing together the skull, which had collapsed over the past 50 years.

Barbara Keller of North Platte is Twylia's niece.

"In a way, I hope it isn't Twylia," Keller said. "It is hard to think of her dying that way."

The family has long held out hope that Twylia is alive, living under a different name.

"She liked me," Keller recalled. "It's hard to believe she would just disappear and never contact anyone again."

Kitt said that a possible connection to Colorado had been discovered in her investigation.

"We had a gentleman who thought he had received a letter from her around that same time from Colorado," Kitt said. "He's quite elderly, and isn't sure of the dates."

Kitt is following up on other leads besides the Colorado case of Boulder Jane Doe.

The search for her great-aunt has become more draining than she anticipated, Kitt said.

"I am not giving up on the fact that she may be alive," Kitt said. "This is just a little more emotional than I expected."