Credit: Toledo Police Department
On March 20, 2025, the Toledo Police Department along with other partners were able to identify the remains of a missing female from 1987. Genetic genealogy positively identified the missing as Tammy Lowe of Taylor, Michigan.
On October 24, 2024, The Porchlight Project announced that the Toledo Police Department had requested their assistance in identifying the remains of a missing female from June 16, 1987. The unidentified female was found near Collingwood Blvd., and Interstate 75 wrapped in a cloth and burned. Previous attempts to identify her were unsuccessful.
The Porchlight Project elected to fund further genetic genealogy testing through Othram. Through Othram’s testing, a possible relative was located in Michigan. Further follow-up by detectives from the Ohio Bureau of Investigation, Toledo Police Department and the Lucas County Coroner’s Office located the possible family members near Detroit, Mich.
A final DNA test taken from a closely related relative confirmed the match, and on March 20, 2025, the missing was identified as 18-year-old Tammy Lowe of Taylor, Mich.
The Toledo Police Department is grateful to The Porchlight Project, Othram, Ohio BCI, Lucas County Cold Case Unit, and the Lucas County Coroner’s Office for their assistance in identifying Lowe.
The Porchlight Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that offers funding for DNA testing and genetic genealogy for Ohio cold cases. For more information, visit https://porchlightonline.org/
Republished courtesy of Toledo Police Department