A genetic genealogy breakthrough has given investigators fresh hope of solving a decades-old mystery involving a woman’s skull discovered at the bottom of a Wisconsin river.
The skull belonged to an unidentified woman known as “Wolf River Joanne Doe.” Two teenage boys found it in about eight feet of water while snorkeling near Winneconne, Wisconsin, in July 1985.
Using genealogy-based DNA testing, investigators with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office have determined that Mary Jane Connor may have been the woman’s grandmother. They are now working to identify the victim—and determine who killed her.
“It’s statistically probable that she’s the grandmother, but we don’t know what sex her child was who would be the parent of our victim,” Lieutenant Chris Braman told The Post-Crescent.
Investigators are now examining Connor’s family history for clues. Records indicate she was born on October 14, 1883, in Northern Ireland to Owen and Mary Connor. She had three siblings: Ellen, Bernard and Therese.
The 1901 Irish census lists the Connor family as Roman Catholic.
Connor later emigrated to the United States from Londonderry, Ireland, aboard the transatlantic steamship Caledonia. She arrived in New York on August 24, 1907.
Investigators found obituaries for Connor’s parents, sibling, nieces and nephews, but none made any reference to Connor.
Two teenage boys found the skull of “Wolf River Joanne Doe,” an unidentified woman, in about eight feet of water while snorkeling near Winneconne, Wisconsin, in July 1985.
Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office investigators used genealogy-based DNA testing to determine that Mary Jane Connor may have been “Joanne’s” grandmother as they work to identify the victim and her killer.
Connor’s name appears on line seven of the passenger list for the Caledonia, which traveled from Londonderry, Ireland, to the United States in August 1907.
“We can speculate as to why that was—whether she was a black sheep, or they didn’t want her to leave and she left—but it definitely appears that she wasn’t recognized in the family after she was gone,” Braman told the outlet.
According to the outlet, investigators have consulted the Manchester Historical Society, professional genealogists and Connor family relatives to learn more about her life.
The investigation gained momentum after Braman obtained DNA from a 91-year-old man from Northern Ireland who lived in Connor’s hometown.
Testing revealed a strong genetic connection to “Joanne,” and officials determined that the man was Connor’s nephew.
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Authorities said the victim’s genetic profile indicated that she was 99 percent Irish or Northern English.
Investigators used that DNA reference to establish that “Joanne” was a direct descendant of Bernard Connor, one of Mary Jane Connor’s three siblings, and his wife, Alice O’Hagan.
“We were very lucky that someone who was basically a generation above [the victim] was still alive and willing to help,” Braman told the outlet.
Braman said he has been working to identify “Joanne” since 2011, while other specialists have continued to study her remains.
A key development came after Lieutenant Chris Braman obtained DNA from a 91-year-old Northern Irish man who lived in Mary Jane Connor’s hometown. Source: Facebook/Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office
James Provinzano, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, examined “Joanne’s” cranium in 1985. Source: Facebook/University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
More than 40 years later, UW-Oshkosh biological anthropologist Jordan Karsten worked with law enforcement to uncover new clues in the cold case.
After the skull was discovered, a Sheriff’s Office dive team searched the riverbed for the rest of the woman’s remains. Nothing else was found.
James Provinzano, then an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, examined the cranium in 1985. He estimated that it belonged to a woman who was about 30 years old and had died between 15 and 40 years earlier.
More than four decades later, Jordan Karsten, a biological anthropologist at UW-Oshkosh, joined the investigation in an effort to uncover additional information.
“I was asked by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office…and my goal was to try and figure out: Is it male or female? There are methods we have where we can study a cranium both visually and by taking measurements,” Karsten said in a video shared with the outlet.
After examining the remains, Karsten concluded that “Joanne” was a Caucasian woman from the modern era who was between 30 and 50 years old. He estimated that the skull had been submerged for no more than 20 years.
The Sheriff’s Office has made the latest developments public in the hope that a Connor relative will provide DNA for further testing and help bring the case to a close.
“We’re like one record away right now. If we could figure out who Mary Jane married, I think we would be in really good shape,” Braman told the outlet.
The Daily Mail has contacted Lieutenant Chris Braman and Jordan Karsten for comment.