New Buffalo Jane Doe 1988

DNA Doe Project identifies body found in Lake Michigan in 1988
New Buffalo Jane Doe identified as missing Chicago woman

New Buffalo, MI – After decades of anonymity, the DNA Doe Project has identified New Buffalo Jane Doe as 71-year-old Dorothy Glanton. Glanton left her home in Chicago, Illinois on 9 December 1987 and never returned. When her remains were recovered the following April in Lake Michigan, authorities were unable to identify her despite exhaustive efforts.

Dorothy Glanton

The breakthrough in this case came when the Michigan State Police brought it to the DNA Doe Project. In the summer of 2023, once a DNA profile had been generated and uploaded to two genetic genealogy databases, a team of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists with the DNA Doe Project came together at a retreat to work on building a family tree for the unidentified woman.

They soon came to learn that the initial assessments from 1988 were inaccurate. Originally, authorities believed that New Buffalo Jane Doe was a Caucasian woman in her 40s or 50s, but she turned out to be African American and in her 70s at the time of her death. Unfortunately, these kinds of mistakes were relatively common in the era prior to DNA analysis and the widespread use of forensic anthropology.

As with many African American cases, genealogy records became difficult to locate when researchers reached back into the period of enslavement. But the team eventually homed in on the right family and came across Dorothy, who had been born and raised in Alabama before she and her family moved to Chicago in the 1920s as part of the Great Migration.

Furthermore, the mistaken age estimate complicated research efforts. “At first, we thought we were looking for a daughter of Dorothy, based on the expected age of the deceased,” said team leader Lisa Needler. “When we narrowed our search directly to Dorothy, we were surprised to learn she would have been in her 70s at the time she was missing.”

While searching for proof of life for Dorothy, researchers found a heartbreaking clue – a newspaper advertisement placed in August 1988 by a relative on behalf of Dorothy’s elderly mother. “It said, “your mother is ill, lonely & afraid” and “she needs you desperately”,” said co-team leader Robin Espensen. “Unfortunately, Dorothy’s body had already been found a few months beforehand.”

The DNA Doe Project is grateful to the groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the Michigan State Police, who entrusted the case to the DNA Doe Project; the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, who exhumed Dorothy’s remains and took samples to undergo the lab process; Astrea Forensics for extraction of DNA and sample prep for whole-genome sequencing; HudsonAlpha Discovery for sequencing; Kevin Lord for bioinformatics; GEDmatch Pro and FTDNA 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:

On April 8, 1988, the decomposed body of an adult woman was recovered from Lake Michigan near the small seaside city of New Buffalo, Michigan, located just over the Indiana border. The woman appeared to be Caucasian and estimated to be between 43-53 years old. She was approximately 5’5” and 165 pounds with brown eyes and was wearing a brown wig with braided extensions.

She had a long scar on her abdomen, possibly from a C-section, and she was found to have had a hysterectomy. Her teeth were in overall excellent condition, with a cantilever porcelain bridge implant to replace a front tooth, two gold crowns, and a gold inlay.

The woman was wearing men’s blue jeans, size 38, with a striped cloth belt, dark blue shorts with red and white stripes, pantyhose, a beige bra and black, zippered ankle boots.

She is believed to have died within the previous year; however, her cause of death could not be determined.

NamUs ID: UP8228

Date Body Found: 4/8/1988

Race: Caucasian

Sex: Female

Estimated Age: 43-53

Agency of Jurisdiction:

Michigan State Police

Hanna Friedlander

517-242-5731

friedlanderh@michigan.gov

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