Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office Partners with Othram to Identify 1993 Jane Doe

Thirty years later, investigators are still working to identify a woman whose remains were found in Jackson County, Missouri
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Published March 23 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

In September 1993, the skeletal remains of an unidentified Black woman were discovered by cable installers in a vacant lot south of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The reporting individuals informed investigators that they had observed what they believed to be a human skeleton in the weeds. Investigators observed the woman’s skeleton had been minimally disturbed. Investigators also recovered a possible partial wig and false nails at the scene. Investigators estimate that the woman was between 20 and 32 years old and that she stood approximately 5’2” in height. However, due to the decomposition that had taken place, investigators were unable to make a definitive determination about the woman’s weight, eye color, or hair color. Investigators estimated that the woman had died a year prior to the discovery of her remains, but were unable to determine the cause of her death.

In April 2009, the case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP5013. Since the discovery of the remains, law enforcement investigators have diligently pursued various leads about the unknown woman’s identity. Despite the exhaustive efforts of law enforcement, the woman’s identity has remained a mystery. With few leads for investigators to pursue, the case went cold.

In 2023, the Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office partnered with Othram to determine if advanced forensic DNA testing could help establish an identity for the woman or a close relative. Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office by calling 816-881-6600 and referencing agency case 93-ME-749 or NamUs ID UP5013.

A DNASolves crowdfund has been created to raise funds for the remaining casework costs. Anyone can contribute here.

Help fund another case Your contributions pay for lab supplies and research tools

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.