Bensalem Police Department and Bode Technology Leverage Othram's Genetic Testing Platform to Identify "Publicker Girl"

Investigators have identified the young pregnant woman, found in 1988, as Lisa Todd.
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Published March 09 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

Nearly 35 years ago, the remains of a young woman were found on the Publicker Distiller property in an underground pump house. Today, thanks to the use of forensic genealogy and investigative work, Lisa Todd, who was 17-years old and six months pregnant, has been identified. The identity of the “Publicker girl”, as she was known, remained an open investigation for Bensalem as their oldest unidentified persons case since 1988 when a passerby found the partially clothed skeletal remains.

Over the years, investigators have attempted to identify “Publicker Girl” without success. In 1994, a forensic facial reconstruction sculpture was developed. In 2007, traditional forensic STR testing was used to build a DNA profile that was submitted to CODIS. No matches were found. Additional efforts were made to generate leads, including a 2014 CT scan of the skeletal remains to create an updated 3D forensic facial reconstruction.

In 2020, Bensalem PD partnered with Bode Technology to explore advanced DNA testing methods. Bode Technology had to leverage propriety DNA extraction methods to work with the highly degraded skeletal evidence. The DNA extract developed at Bode Technology was then sent to Othram Inc. for further analysis. Othram used human enrichment paired with Forensic-Grade Genomic Sequencing® to produce a genealogical profile. While the DNA evidence was severely degraded due to the age of the case and the condition in which the remains were found, the Bode-Othram partnership produced a genealogical profile that enabled genealogy search. Genealogical research performed by Bensalem PD produced the leads necessary to confirm Lisa Todd’s identity.

While her identity has now been restored, the circumstances surrounding Lisa Todd’s death have been ruled suspicious and investigators are now working to determine how she died and who might be responsible for her death. Anyone with information is urged to call the Bensalem Township Police Department, Detective Chris McMullin at 215-633-3719.

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Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381
media@othram.com

Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.

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About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at ... Read morerecovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. With dnasolves.com anyone can make a difference and help solve the next cold case.