In June 1989, the partial remains of an unidentified individual were found scattered over an embankment on the west side of Route 78 in Warwick, Massachusetts, just a mile and a half from the New Hampshire border. Investigators were called to the scene and collected evidence. Initially, the individual's sex could not be determined, but later anthropologists suggested that the remains were that of a female who was estimated to be between 21 and 53 years old at the time of her death. The woman's height and weight could not be determined and no identifying characteristics were available. The woman's manner of death was determined to be homicide.
In December 2014, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as #UP13193. Despite efforts to identify the woman, no leads yielded a match and the woman’s identity remained a mystery. She became known as Franklin County Jane Doe. For more than three decades, the murdered woman's identity remained a mystery.
In 2023, the Massachusetts State Police submitted skeletal remains to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas in hopes that advanced DNA testing could help to identify the woman. Othram scientists successfully developed a suitable DNA extract from the skeletal remains and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unidentified homicide victim. After successfully completing the process, Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop investigative leads that were returned to investigators.
Using these new leads, a follow-up investigation was conducted, leading to genetic relatives of the woman. Reference samples were collected from these potential relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown woman. This comparison confirmed the identity of Franklin County Jane Doe as Constance Holminski Bassignani, born in 1924 in Hawaii. At the time of her death, Constance had been living in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. She previously lived in Franklin, Massachusetts.
Constance Bassignani was last seen alive on Memorial Day weekend in 1989. Shortly after that, her husband, William Bassignani, told family and friends that she had moved back to Hawaii. Investigators found no evidence that Constance Bassignani ever moved back to Hawaii. Her family and friends did not hear from her again. Her husband, William Bassignani, who died in 1993, is considered a person of interest in the case.
The identification of Constance Holminski Bassignani represents the fourth case in the State of Massachusetts where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Most recently in Fairhaven, Keith Olson was identified four decades after being murdered. In 2023, Othram's technology assisted in the identification of Patricia Ann Tucker, who was known as "Granby Girl" for more than four decades.
Investigators ask anyone who may have any information about the case to call the State Police Detective Unit at the Northwestern District Attorney’s office at 413-512-5361. The public can also submit information through the Northwestern District Attorney’s website: northwesternda.org.
Republished courtesy of DNASolves.