Skull found in wall is an Indiana teenager who died in 1866

A skull found in the wall of a Illinois The house is that of a teenage girl who died of complications during childbirth in 1866, officials announced at a press conference following a public fundraiser to identify the remains.

The girl, Esther Granger, was from Merrillville, Indiana, and died at age 17 when Andrew Johnson was president, investigators said Thursday.

Earlier this month, professional photographer Thomas Doggett, 3D Resin Solutions of South Elgin, Illinois, and forensic artist Natalie Murray were able to work together to create an artistic rendering of what Granger may have looked like.

According to the Kane County Coroner’s Office, the girl’s skull was found in November 1978 in Batavia, Illinois, about 45 miles west of Chicago.

Owner James Skinner was doing renovation work on his home when he found the skull and some items behind a baseboard. He told police what he found so they could collect the items and the skull and begin an investigation, the coroner’s office said.

Here’s what else you need to know about the case.

Why did it take so long to identify the skull?

Although the skull was found in 1978, authorities were unable to identify Granger. In 2021, the Kane County Coroner’s Cold Case Team learned about Othram Laboratories, a Texas-based forensic sequencing laboratory that traces genetic genealogy.

Ultimately, Othram succeeded in creating a DNA profile. Researchers created a DNASolves crowdfunding campaign and raised $7,500 in donations to complete the process and trace the DNA.

By February 2024, Othram had matched the profile and learned that the skull was likely Granger’s.

Still, Othram had to confirm the match by testing a biological relative, so the organization contacted someone they believed was Granger’s second great-grandson.

The DNA match was confirmed June 17, the coroner’s office said.

Researchers have spent decades finding answers

In 1978, researchers sent the skull to Northern Illinois University’s anthropology department.

There, investigators determined that the remains belonged to a woman who was likely in her mid-20s when she died and that she had died sometime before the year 1900.

Between 1978 and 1979, researchers contacted national laboratories, museums and genealogical societies to find clues. They couldn’t find one and the skull was sent to the Batavia Depot Museum for safekeeping.

Museum supervisors were checking artifacts in March 2021 when they found the skull. They called Batavia police, who turned it over to the Kane County coroner’s office to continue the investigation.

New methods lead to identification of the victim

This time, Deputy Coroner Gabriela Allison was appointed lead investigator. When Allison heard about Othram Laboratories, she reached out. She learned more about genetic genealogy in the field of forensics, a process Othram was able to use to match DNA profiles despite items being decades old.

In May 2023, Othram laboratory workers decided to try to create a DNA profile using the skull. From there, researchers were able to crowdfund and raise money for the rest of the identification process.

In December 2023, Othram had contacted the Kane County Coroner’s Office and allowed them to raise money for the trial.

By January 2024, the money was raised, and the following month Othram informed the coroner’s office that they had found a match: Esther Granger.

The next steps were to test the DNA of living relatives to confirm the match. The coroner’s office contacted Wayne Svilar, a possible descendant of Granger. He submitted his DNA and on June 17, Othram confirmed that he was Granger’s second great-grandson.

In August, Granger was buried in a private ceremony at West Batavia Cemetery. Svilar, the coroner’s office, the coroner’s office and the Batavia Police Department attended.

Who was Esther Granger?

The girl, whose full name is Esther Ann Granger, was born Oct. 26, 1848. She was one of six children, Othram said in a news release. After she died in 1866, she was buried in Lake County, Indiana.

Although researchers are unsure how her remains ended up in Batavia, Othram says it may be due to grave robbing. The coroner’s office also said that in the 19th century, doctors would “pay for new corpses” because they wanted to learn more about human anatomy.

“Esther’s identification marks the oldest case of unidentified human remains solved by Othram and the ninth successful forensic genetic genealogy identification in Illinois using Othram’s technology,” Othram said.

“Through dogged research and the use of modern DNA technology, we have finally put a name to the skull found decades ago,” Kane County Coroner Rob Russell said in a statement. “This person has her identity back.”

“The identity of this person was unknown for decades,” Russell said at the ceremony. “Decades later, thanks to the tireless work of those gathered here today, advances in science and technology and some divine intervention, we can confidently say that Jane Doe is Esther Granger,” he said.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her [email protected].