Summary
In September 1994, two teenagers discovered a human skull by a stream in a wooded area off Interstate 95 near exit 12 in Darien, Connecticut. Investigators were able to determine that the skull belonged to an unknown woman. No additional remains or belongings that were matched to the woman were recovered. Investigators believe that the unknown woman was white and likely between the ages of 40 and 50 years old at the time of her death. Due to the condition of the unknown woman’s remains, investigators were unable to make definitive determinations about her hair color, eye color, height, or weight during her life. Investigators believe that the woman had died as many as 10 years prior to the discovery of her remains.
In 2015, the case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as case number #UP14546 . Since the discovery of the woman’s remains, law enforcement investigators have diligently pursued various leads about her identity, but none have returned a match despite the exhaustive efforts of law enforcement. With few leads for investigators to pursue, the case went cold.
In 2023, in an ongoing collaboration aimed at solving the backlog of cold cases in Connecticut, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner partnered with Othram to generate new leads in the case. Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Connecticut Office of Chief Medical Examiner by calling 860-679-3980 and referencing agency case 94-09391 or NamUs ID #UP14546.
A DNASolves crowdfund has been created to raise funds for the remaining casework costs. Anyone can contribute here.
Michael Vogen
Director of Case Management
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.