PHILO, Ill. (WCIA) — A woman was buried in a Champaign County cemetery decades ago without being identified. Now, one Girl Scout is hoping to give her the dignity she deserves.

The headstone has been at Locust Grove Cemetery in Philo as Jane Doe for around 30 years. But in 2020, investigators found out who she was. Girl Scout Ella Plotner wanted to find a service project to earn a Silver Award, so she had the idea to find a headstone that needed to be replaced, and it didn’t take long for her to find the perfect one.

14-year-old Plotner found a headstone without an identity.

“I looked down and I was like, ‘oh, there’s a Jane Doe,'” Plotner said.

And she knew that something needed to be done.

“I realized that I wanted to do the project about her because they found out her name,” Plotner said.

The woman’s name is Keri Lyn Wyant. Her body was found in Thomasboro in 1995. Former Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup took over the case in 2004, and after many forensic tests, they finally identified Wyant in 2020.

Even though her gravestone still reads Jane Doe, it won’t for long.

“I got kind of a box with like a slant in it and it’s going to say her name,” Plotner said. “And then I picked it out in a rose color.”

Plotner has the new headstone picked out but needs to raise $1,300 to buy it. And she’s got a plan.

“We are mainly going to for ask for donations, but I’m also planning to do mini bake sales” Plotner said.

And if she makes more than her goal, she has a plan for that too because Plotner said everyone deserves a worthy final resting place.

“I’m super excited because I feel like I’m honoring her,” Plotner said.

Plotner said she’s trying to get all the money together by the end of the summer. She’ll have a bake sale booth at The Creative Farmshed & Shop on April 26 in Tolono, and you can also donate at the Philo Exchange Bank. Additionally, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information on Wyant’s case to reach out to them at 217-384-1204.