St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society to Meet May 19
Join SCVGS May 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the First National Bank of River Falls meeting room to hear forensic genealogist Charles McGee speak about the Polk County, Oregon, Jane Doe Cold Case that he helped to solve using DNA.
On September 1st, 1996, the partial remains of Polk County Jane Doe were found by hunters near an old logging road about twenty miles west of Salem, Oregon. The victim—later determined to be a white female between the ages of 45 and 70—had been wrapped in a tarp, fastened with rope, before being discarded at the bottom of an embankment.
Although the case was ruled a homicide, no cause of death could be determined and the women could not be identified. The case went cold and languished for over 20 years. But with new advances in DNA analysis and genetic genealogy, combined with tried-and-true genealogical research, a small team of researchers solved the case and a killer was brought to justice.
This is the tragic story of Kathy Thomas and the genealogical methods used to help bring her family closure.
SCVGS will hold their annual meeting prior to the presentation starting at 6:30. Feel free to enter the meeting room or wait on the benches outside the room if you are not a society member until the annual meeting concludes. This meeting is open to the public and will also be offered via Zoom. You must contact SCVGS at [email protected] to obtain the link to the Zoom meeting.
