The New London Police Department and The Porchlight Project will work together in an attempt to discover the name of the young woman whose bones were found in an old garage in 2016. 72 human bones were discovered under newspaper in a garage at 118 E. Main Street, New London, in the fall of 2016 when a new owner began renovations. The property was the former residence of New London mayor Dar Anderson, beginning in 1982, but it’s possible the bones were never found by Anderson as the garage was in disrepair and the bones could be more than forty years old.
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat analyzed the remains in his lab at Mercyhurst University in 2016 and determined the bones were likely from a young woman between the ages of 13 and 20, who stood between 4’10” and 5’6” tall. There were no signs of dental work, suggesting the remains may be quite old. Portions of the skull and sacrum appear to have been cut by a power saw.
“The bones in New London belong to someone’s child, a member of someone’s family, however old they may be,” says James Renner, President of The Porchlight Project, the nonprofit that will pay for the new DNA tests. “Was she a victim of an unsolved crime? Is she a missing person? Using genetic genealogy, we can finally give her a name.”
New London chief of police, Michael J. Marko says, “We are grateful for the assistance from James Renner and the Porchlight Project in helping us to identify the remains after an intensive investigation was unable to determine who she is. I am hopeful that genetic technology will solve this mystery and assist us in our investigation. The New London Police Department is committed to bringing closure to a family member or relative involving the remains of this young lady.”
DNA testing and genetic genealogy will be conducted by Bode Technology, a leading provider of forensic DNA services. “Bode has provided identification to thousands of unknown individuals worldwide and developed highly specialized procedures that will be applied for this case,” says Andrew Singer, Vice President of Operations Sales and Global Marketing at Bode. “Historically, we have only been able to directly match individuals to close family members. Forensic genealogy provides the opportunity to expand far beyond that and provide answers that were previously unattainable.”
If you have information about the identity of the young woman found in New London, please contact police at 419-929-3504.
Republished courtesy of The Porchlight Project.