Summary
In June 2011, near Wilmington, Delaware, officers from New Castle County Division of Police were called regarding the discovery of human remains found in a wooded area in Sellers Park. Among the recovered remains was a skull and jaw bone, however, there are few details reported beyond these initial findings and there has been no publicly reported cause of death for the unknown woman.
Little is known so far about the victim, but a Forensic Anthropologist estimates the unknown woman is white and that she was between the age of 25-50 at her time of death. She had long thick brown hair which she had been wearing in a single braid down her back. She also had unique dental work, including noticeable gold inlays on her teeth. A pair of blue shorts were found in close proximity to the remains, but it is unclear if the shorts belong to the unknown woman or if they are in any way connected to the case.
With the help of a Forensic Artist/ Professor from George Madison University, New Castle County Police Department recently released a 3D artistic representation of what the unknown woman may have looked like. Investigators hope that the forensic reconstruction will help in finding someone that might recognize the woman. In addition, earlier this year, the New Castle County Police Department teamed up with Othram in hopes of using advanced DNA testing to uncover leads that might point to the unknown woman's identity or the identity of a relative.
This case is fully funded by New Castle County Division of Police. Anyone who has any information about this incident, please contact Detective Jeffrey Sendek at 302-395-8110 or via email at Jeffrey.Sendek@newcastlede.gov or Lt Teresa Williams (RET) at 302-395-8110 or Teresa.Williams@newcastlede.gov or by calling New Castle County Division of Police non-emergency number at 302-573-2800. You can reference case #32-11-059162.The case is logged in NamUs as #UP8827.
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.