UPDATE: The Massachusetts woman was located alive.

It was a horrific discovery just a few days before Christmas in 1976.

The body of a woman was found on Dec. 20, 1976 in Carbon County, Pennsylvania near the Lehigh River.

She had been violently raped, strangled and shot in the neck, a blog post from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website said.

“Her body was dismembered, shoved into three suitcases and thrown from a westbound highway overpass off I-80 in Carbon County, Pennsylvania,” the blog post said.

The woman was pregnant, full-term. She was expecting a little girl. The baby had been cut from her body. The woman’s nose, ears and other body parts were removed.

Some children checking out animal traps near the river made the discovery.

For years, the case left investigators with unanswered questions. They knew the woman was between 15- and 25-years-old with brown hair and brown eyes. She had only been dead a day or two when she was discovered.

“Someone out there knows who she is,” said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Brian Noll in the blog post. “And there is always hope that someone will come forward with information.”

Authorities often called the woman “Beth Doe.” A tipster may have helped give investigators her true name.

A recent tip called into police “suggests that she may have been named Madelyn ‘Maggie’ Cruz, and she may have lived in Framingham at one point,” the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children now says.

The tipster gave investigators information and detectives found pictures of Cruz. They still now wonder, where is she now?

Maggie Cruz went missing from Massachusetts in the early 1970s. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

“This particular lead checks a lot of boxes for us as being a possible match for our victim,” Noll said in the post. “We are hopeful to be able to identify her as our victim or rule her out with certainty.”

He added, “This would be an unusual case for any area based on the ghastly nature of the murder. The area where she was found is very rural and quiet and there have not been any cases that are believed to be related in the area.”

Cruz went by the nickname “Maggie” but her birth name is Madelyn, although police said the spelling may be different.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said Cruz may have been in the care of New Jersey social services in the early 1970s and then sent to Rockwood Academy in Lenox, Massachusetts.

“Afterward, she was taken in by a foster family in Framingham, MA and possibly attended Framingham North High School, although records of her attendance have not been found,” the blog post said.

Sometime around 1974, and at age 16, Cruz ran away from Framingham. No one saw her since. She may have gone to Tarrytown, New York.

For years no one heard from Cruz, but she then called a friend. Cruz said she was pregnant and needed cash.

“Unfortunately, Maggie would not say where she was,” the blog said. “Police say this was the last time that anyone heard from Maggie.”

Authorities are asking for any information in the case and for any information on Maggie Cruz. Anyone with information can call the Pennsylvania State Police at 1-570-459-3890 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).