Nationwide Hunt For Dead Woman's Identity Leads To Ohio

A coroner in Illinois believes an unidentified woman found dead in 1976 may have had a connection to Ohio. Brandon Johnson, the deputy chief coroner for Grundy County, said the woman likely had family from the Buckeye State.

Jane Senaca Doe — called that because her body was found in Seneca, Illinois — was discovered in a field on Oct. 2, 1976. A farmer and his granddaughter were finishing their day and walking home when they saw what looked to be a dead deer in a ditch. The pair went to check it out and found Doe's body.

Johnson said Doe was shot twice in the back of the head and left naked in the ditch. Her head was wrapped in a sweater, which investigators have photographed and shared around the nation.

The sheriff's department and coroner's office investigated Doe's death at the time and ruled it a homicide. They tried to identify her for a month, running her autopsy in local newspapers. No family was ever located and she was buried in an unmarked grave on Thanksgiving Day 1976 in Seneca County. Only the corner and a cemetery worker attended the burial.

Johnson is now using modern science to try and identify this long-forgotten woman. He had her body exhumed and is using DNA pulled from her corpse to find her family.

"I’ve used modern-day forensic science techniques, including exhumation for DNA. In June of 2019, I partnered with the DNA Doe Project, which specializes is genealogical genealogy. I’ve learned a lot of good information from the DNA Doe Project," Johnson told Patch in an email.

The DNA Doe Project uses forensic genealogy to uncover clues to an unidentified person's identity. Most forensic genealogy relies on databases compiled by consumer DNA testing companies like 23andMe.

Investigators now believe Jane Seneca Doe was likely born between 1948 and 1960, according to Johnson. She would have been missing no later than Oct. 1976.

Johnson's investigation revealed Doe's parents, and one set of grandparents, may have come from Selma, Alabama. One of the grandparents was likely named Calhoun and one great-grandparent may have been named Harris.

At least one branch of Jane Doe's family moved to Ohio. She may have had siblings who were not aware of her existence. An artist has done a rendering of what Doe may have looked like. Johnson is also sharing images of the sweater found wrapped around Doe's head.

Anyone with any potential information should contact Deputy Chief Coroner Brandon Johnson at 815-941-3359 or by e-mail: bjohnson@grundyco.org.