DNA testing reveals skull found in a wall belonged to teen who died 150 years ago
DNA testing has revealed that a skull found decades ago in the wall of an Illinois house belonged to an 18-year-old woman who died just after the American Civil War.
DNA testing has revealed that a skull found decades ago in the wall of an Illinois house belonged to an 18-year-old woman who died just after the American Civil War.
Officials in Kane County told a news conference Thursday that a skull discovered during renovations at a property in Batavia, west of Chicago, in 1978 has now been matched to Esther Granger, an Indiana woman who died after childbirth in 1866.
County officials were able to make a family tree and even contact a living relative, Granger's great-great-grandson, who submitted a DNA sample. They also generated an impression of her likely appearance. Authorities have speculated that Granger's body may have been stolen and moved by grave robbers.
The skull was thought to be old, perhaps predating 1900, but despite an investigation it had been kept in storage at Batavia Depot Museum for almost 50 years with its mystery unsolved.
It was rediscovered in a box while museum staff were cleaning in 2021. The police were contacted and the coroner's office began the process of formal identification using modern techniques.
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