MI ADA BONES JANE DOE: BF, 22-45, found in roadside park in Ada, MI - 31 July 1997 *STEPHANIE JUDSON*

On July 31, 1997 a maintenance worker picking up trash in a roadside park in Ada, Michigan found human remains in a wooded area behind some outbuildings. The body, upon examination by an anthropology team from Western Michigan University, was determined to be that of a Black/African American female between 20 to 30 years old and 5’ 3” to 5’ 7”. Authorities found only a dark blue leg warmer near the remains. Her teeth showed a lack of dental care, and she likely died sometime between March and August of 1996. She remains unidentified despite the creation of a reconstruction clay model by a Michigan State police forensic artist in 2009.

Ada Bones Jane Doe 1997 | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

On July 31, 1997, the skeletal remains of an unknown female were found in the Ada Township Park located at 9232 E. Fulton St. It is believed the remains had been at the site a year or longer prior to discovery.
The individual has a healed nasal fracture with a significant distortion to the left side of the nose. While some restorations were present, several of the individual's teeth were left untreated and in need of dental care. A dark blue leg warmer was located near the remains.

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www.michigan.gov

Accessories: One navy blue leg warmer - Near the Body

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[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

1997 Ada Township homicide victim identified

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says the remains of a 1997 homicide victim in Ada Township have been identified.

www.fox17online.com

1997 Ada Township homicide victim identified​

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says the remains of a 1997 homicide victim in Ada Township have been identified.

Deputies say the remains of Stephanie Renee Judson were found in a roadside park nearly 25 years ago. We’re told Stephanie’s identity was discerned thanks to help from the DNA Doe Project.

We're told Stephanie was born on Jan. 2, 1966 and was initially from Benton Harbor before moving to Grand Rapids in the late ‘80s. Her remains were found on July 31, 1997, and the sheriff’s office says the Kent County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Stephanie’s death was a result of homicide.

Genealogy testing finally puts name to ‘Ada bones’

For nearly 25 years, the remains of a woman found near Grand Rapids have been referred to only as the Ada bones, her face only an approximation in clay. Now, authorities know her name.

www.woodtv.com

Genealogy testing finally puts name to ‘Ada bones’​

For nearly 25 years, the remains of a woman found near Grand Rapids have been referred to only as the Ada bones, her face only an approximation in clay.

Now, authorities know her name.

Stephanie Renee Judson, a mother of two, was originally from Benton Harbor.

She may be the final victim in a series of a dozen killings that happened in the 1990s. Authorities don’t know who was responsible.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

West Michigan Jane doe identified 25 years after remains were discovered

Before her identification, the remains were simply labeled "Ada bones." But new DNA and genealogy tracing have revealed the woman's true identity.

www.fox2detroit.com

Investigators learned that she was Stephanie Judson, a Benton Harbor woman in her 20s who moved to the Grand Rapids area and was killed in 1997, WOOD-TV reported Tuesday.

DNA and genealogy tracing revealed the identity. The investigation stretched from Kent County to distant relatives in Mississippi and then back to Michigan.

"It’s incredible," said Dustin Cook, a detective at the sheriff’s office.

He said Judson "got caught up in a party lifestyle" and had relocated to Grand Rapids from Benton Harbor.

Detectives found Judson’s sister, but their mother died before the mystery was solved.

"She wanted her mom to be here in person to hear this news," Cook said of Judson’s sister, "but she did say, ‘That just goes to show, even my mom being in heaven, she never stopped working to find her daughter.’"