The death of Kristen Galvan, a Texas teenager who went missing after being sex-trafficked, has been confirmed through DNA testing. The partial remains of a girl found under a bridge in Missouri City, Texas, in January 2020 were finally matched to Galvan in July 2025, more than five years after her disappearance at age 15.
Galvan was trafficked by Houston gang members who groomed her via Instagram. She was bound with duct tape, beaten and stabbed to death, according to her mother, Robyn Cory. Only parts of her skull were recovered; her limbs and lower body have never been found.
Despite the discovery of the remains shortly after her disappearance, they were classified as a 'Jane Doe' and not linked to Galvan's case. A forensic facial reconstruction image on the Department of Justice's NamUs database strongly resembled Galvan, but law enforcement did not test the DNA until July 2025, after Cory repeatedly urged them to do so.
Galvan's trafficker, Aryion Jackson, was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2022. He ran a 'trap house' holding up to 12 women and girls, forcing them into prostitution. Galvan had previously been rescued from him but disappeared again in January 2020, likely forced to leave home out of fear for her family's safety.
Cory was informed of the DNA match in August 2025 but asked by police not to disclose it for several months. She has spent years searching for her daughter, who was a good student, Girl Scout and drill team member with dreams of a military career.
