Summary
In February 2021, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department requested the assistance of the Marion County Coroner’s Office for a death investigation at E. Beecher Street and E. Pleasant Run Parkway, just east of Interstate 65. The body of an unknown black female was found deceased. The woman’s manner of death was due to undeterminable causes; however, it is possible she had recently died due to exposure to the elements.
It was determined that the woman stood approximately 5’ 4'' tall and weighed 176 pounds. The woman wore multiple layers of clothing, including a black pair of size medium Nike pants underneath another black pair of size 12 women's dress pants, as well as a pair of green and brown socks with zip-up dress boots. She also wore a size 14 black and gray one piece swimsuit, a large black long sleeve turtleneck, and a thin black hoodie with "University of Indianapolis" insignia on the left front of the jacket.
In April 2021, details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as #UP79969. A digital forensic composite was developed and released to the public in hopes that it would generate new leads about the case. Despite efforts to identify the unknown woman, investigators have been unable to do so, and her identity is a mystery.
In 2024, the Marion County Coroner's Office teamed with Othram to determine if advanced forensic DNA testing could help establish an identity for the woman or a close relative. Marion County Coroner’s office previously partnered with Othram to identify Randy Carl Lee and Patricia Anna Anderson. Anyone with information that could aid in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Marion County Coroner's Office at 317-327-4744 and reference agency case MC-21-0619 or NamUs ID #UP79969.
A DNASolves crowdfund has been created to raise funds for the 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.