DNA Doe Project helps to identify Jane Doe found in Maine in 2015
Woman found on Portland beach identified as Byung Ran Kim
Portland, ME – More than a decade after her body washed ashore a beach, a Jane Doe found in Portland, Maine has been identified as 66-year-old Byung Ran Kim. Kim, an immigrant to the US from South Korea, was last known to be living in New York before her death in 2015.
Byung Ran Kim
On May 22, 2015, the body of a woman was found on East End Beach in Portland, Maine. She was believed to be 30-50 years old and of Asian descent, while it was estimated that she had died less than 24 hours before her body was discovered. It was also determined that her cause of death was drowning. The unidentified woman was well-dressed and had undergone expensive dental work, but there were no clues as to her identity.
In 2018, the Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner brought this case to the DNA Doe Project, whose expert investigative genetic genealogists work pro bono to identify Jane and John Does. Unfortunately, the genealogy research in this case was stymied by a lack of DNA matches, a common obstacle in cases involving people of Asian descent. The team was, however, able to deduce that the unidentified woman had roots in South Korea.
This information was passed on to the investigating agencies, who began looking into the possibility that she may have been a South Korean national. Detective Andjelko Napijalo of the Portland Police Department worked tirelessly to get her fingerprints compared against the South Korean database and, when this comparison eventually took place, a match was found. The former Jane Doe was identified as Byung Ran Kim, a 66-year-old from South Korea who had been living in New York prior to her disappearance. Kim’s family in South Korea were subsequently informed of her identification, providing them with some answers after eleven years of not knowing what had happened to her.
The DNA Doe Project is grateful to the groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner, who entrusted us with the case; the Portland Police Department, for all their work on this case; Othram for the lab work; GEDmatch Pro and FamilyTreeDNA for providing their databases; 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
Jane Doe Portland was found newly deceased on May 22, 2015 on the rocks on a beach a short distance from Fore Street in Portland, Maine. A female 30-50 years old of Asian descent, it is believed she committed suicide by drowning in the ocean. She was dressed in nice clothes and had expensive dental work, as well as tattooed eyebrows.
NamUs: UP15135
Date Found: May 22, 2015
Gender: Female
Race: Asian
Estimated Age: 30-50
Estimated PMI: 1 day
Agency of Jurisdiction
Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner
Lindsey Chasteen, Medicolegal Death Investigator
207-624-7180
Links to More Information
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/15135/
Status
Identified
Last Updated: June 3, 2026
