DNA Doe Project identifies woman murdered in Minnesota in 1993
Remains found in separate lakes belonged to missing St. Paul woman
St. Paul, MN – For more than three decades, investigators have searched for the identity of a woman whose remains were discovered in two separate Minnesota lakes. Today, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the DNA Doe Project announce that she has finally been identified as 27-year-old Denise Elaine Hartley. Hartley, a native of Ohio, had moved from Columbus to St. Paul shortly before her disappearance.
Denise Elaine Hartley
On June 12, 1993, the head of a woman was discovered floating near the shore of Bone Lake in New Scandia Township, Minnesota. Shortly afterwards, a foot was located on the bank of Pig’s Eye Lake, approximately 20 miles southwest in St. Paul. Forensic analysis confirmed that these remains belonged to the same individual – a Caucasian woman estimated to be between 30 and 65 years old, with dark brown spiky hair, brown eyes, and triple-pierced ears.
With no clues as to her identity, she became known as Bone Lake Jane Doe. Decades later, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, a non-profit whose expert investigative genetic genealogists work pro bono to identify John and Jane Does. While a separate genealogy team had spent five years working the case, the woman’s identity had remained elusive. A DNA profile was subsequently generated by Tetracore, Inc., who also provided their services pro bono, and by February 2026 the case was ready to launch.
The case launch took place in person at a gathering in Utah, and the team began to make headway immediately. Having deduced that the unidentified woman had deep roots in Ohio, the team focused on a Columbus couple who had 15 children – the youngest of whom was Denise. Just five days after the case launch, the team made a crucial discovery: a social media post stating that Denise “went missing around 1993.”
Shortly afterwards, the DNA Doe Project presented Denise as a candidate to their agency partners. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, Denise’s identity was officially confirmed a few months later.
“For over 30 years, Denise was known only by the moniker Bone Lake Jane Doe,” said team leader Traci Onders. “But thanks to the dedicated efforts of DNA Doe Project volunteers, we were able to give Denise her name back after just five days of work.”
The DNA Doe Project is grateful to the groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, who entrusted us with this case; the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, for their assistance in confirming the identification; Tetracore, Inc., for the lab work; GEDmatch Pro, for providing their database; the KAAB Memorial Foundation, for the funding they provided; our generous donors who joined our mission and contributed to this case; and the DNA Doe Project’s dedicated teams of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists, who work tirelessly to bring all our Jane and John Does home.
Description:
On June 12, 1993, the head of a woman was discovered floating near the shore of Bone Lake in New Scandia Township, Minnesota. A foot was later located on the bank of Pig’s Eye Lake approximately 20 miles southwest in St. Paul. Both the head and foot had been cleanly cut.
The woman was Caucasian and estimated to be between 30-65 years old.
She had dark brown spiky hair and brown eyes. Her ears were triple pierced, and she had red toenail polish on two toes.
NamUs ID: UP7308
Date Body Found: 6/12/1993
Race: White/Caucasian
Sex: Female
Estimated Age: 30-65 years
Estimated PMI: days
Agency of Jurisdiction:
Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office
Dr. Kelly Mills
(651) 266-1700
kelly.mills@ramseycountymn.gov
More Information:
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/7308?nav
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/123ufmn.html
Status: Active
Image Credit: P. Johnson, MN B.C.A
Doe-Nate Fund Goal: $3,385
This case has been fully funded by our generous donors.
Last Updated: June 11, 2026
