WI ST. CROIX JANE DOE: WF, 35-60, found in garbage bag in Boy Scout camp near Houlton, WI - 21 Oct 2002 *ALYCE PETERSON*

On October 21, 2002 Boy Scouts found a skull and mandible in a plastic bag in a wooded area of a Boy Scout camp near Houlton, Wisconsin. A forensic examination revealed the skull was of a female aged 35 to more than 50 of Asian, Asian Pacific or Native American ancestry. The woman had short (between 2 ½ to 3 inches long) mousy-brown hair, and she was missing all of her teeth at the time of death. Her height, weight and eye color could not be estimated. The female had widely spaced eyes, a flat face, and a pronounced forehead. Investigators speculate the skull had been deposited at the site within a year of discovery.

DNA Doe Project:

St Croix County Jane Doe 2002 | DNA Doe Project

dnadoeproject.org

Date of Discovery: October 21, 2002
Location of Discovery: Houlton, St. Croix County, Wisconsin
Estimated Date of Death: 2001-2002
State of Remains: Not recognizable - partial remains with soft tissues
Cause of Death: Undetermined

Estimated Age: 35-50 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Dark brown (also described as "mousy brown") and about three inches long.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: It is suspected that the woman may have been cognitively impaired. She may have been institutionalized. Her eyes may have been wider than normal, suggesting that this person would have looked different or possibly have been mentally handicapped, with an extremely flat nose and facial features.

Dentals: Available. Victim had gone several years before her death without her teeth. No dentures were located at the scene.
Fingerprints: Not available.
DNA: Available.

The victim was located in St. Croix County, Wisconsin on October 19, 2002. A female skull was found in a deep ravine next to a roadway. The skull was found in a garbage bag. There were no signs of trauma to the skull and no other body parts or skeletal remains have been located.

Based on genetic genealogists with the DNA Doe Project, the skull belongs to a woman of Swedish descent. She was likely 35 to 50 years old, had a flat face, pronounced forehead, and widely spaced eyes. Investigators added that the woman's relatives may have emigrated to the Twin Cities area and that the skull had been left at its discovery site within a year of it being discovered.

Doe Network: International Center For Missing and Unidentified Persons

Doe Network is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to bringing awareness to missing persons and unidentified persons throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia.

www.doenetwork.org

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 60
Estimated Age Range (Years): 35-60
Estimated Year of Death: 2001-2002
Estimated PMI: 12 Months

Skull and mandible found by Boy Scouts in a wooded rural area, no cause of death determined.

No teeth for long period of time before death

St. Croix County Jane Doe

St. Croix County Jane Doe was a woman whose skull was discovered in a plastic bag in 2002. She is currently undergoing testing by the DNA Doe Project. Short brown hair. She had no teeth, and had been missing her teeth for a while before her death. Her race was originally listed as Asian and it...

unidentified-awareness.fandom.com

St. Croix County Jane Doe was a woman whose skull was discovered in a plastic bag in 2002.

She is currently undergoing testing by the DNA Doe Project.

• Short brown hair.
• She had no teeth, and had been missing her teeth for a while before her death.
• Her race was originally listed as Asian and it was believed she could have had white, Hispanic, and/or Native American ancestry. DNA testing later revealed she was of Swedish descent.
• She had widely-set eyes, a flat nose, and a pronounced forehead, indicating that she may have had a mental disability.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office seeks public assistance in Jane Doe cold case

Investigators with the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) are hoping the public can help identify a Jane Doe whose skull

www.baldwin-bulletin.com

St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office seeks public assistance in Jane Doe cold case​

Investigators with the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) are hoping the public can help identify a Jane Doe whose skull was found Oct. 21, 2002, near the St. Croix River. It was initially believed the woman was of Asian descent, but investigative genetic genealogists with the DNA Doe Project have now determined she was of Swedish descent. It is believed her relatives may have emigrated to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The woman was likely between 35-50 years old and had widely spaced eyes, a flat face and a pronounced forehead. Investigators speculate the skull had been deposited at the site within a year of discovery.

The public is asked to contact St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office Investigator James Haefner via email at james.haefner@sccwi.gov or 715-381-4325 with information about anyone who matches the description of this Jane Doe and who disappeared prior to October 2002. Potential family members may be needed to confirm her identity by providing a DNA sample.

Want to help identify Jane and John Does? Upload your DNA profile from Ancestry.com, 23-and-me, or other consumer DNA testing sites to GEDmatch. Visit dnadoeproject.org for information and links on how to upload.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

DNA Doe Project solves 23-year mystery of skull found in St. Croix County

On October 21, 2002, Boy Scouts found a skull in a plastic bag in rural Wisconsin.

www.wxow.com

DNA Doe Project solves 23-year mystery of skull found in St. Croix County​

The DNA Doe Project has identified the remains of a woman found in Houlton, Wisconsin 23 years ago as 92-year-old Alyce Catharina Peterson. Peterson died of natural causes in a St. Paul, Minnesota hospital 15 months before her skull was discovered.

On October 21, 2002, Boy Scouts found a skull in a plastic bag in rural Wisconsin. Initially, forensic analysis suggested the skull belonged to a woman of Asian or Native American descent. However, DNA analysis later revealed she was Caucasian with Swedish ancestry.

“We were surprised to discover through DNA analysis that St Croix County Jane Doe was of Swedish descent,” said Robin Espensen, co-team leader of the DNA Doe Project. “This unexpected result turned out to be a huge new lead."

The DNA Doe Project, which took on the case in 2021, used DNA databases to identify Peterson. A crucial DNA match in Stockholm helped build out her family tree and led to the discovery of Peterson's identity.

“This is the first time that I have seen a Doe identified as someone who had a death certificate and who was supposedly cremated,” said case manager Eric Hendershott.

The DNA Doe Project expressed gratitude to all organizations and individuals who assisted in solving the case. Their efforts have reunited Peterson with her family, bringing closure to a decades-old mystery.

How Petersen's skull was detached from her body prior to cremation is unknown. 18 News has reached out to the law enforcement agencies involved for more information but have not yet received the documents.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I would say this is most definitely foul play. Heads do not just come off a body nd end up elsewhere.

 

[Kimster]

I want them go back to the crematorium and ask them who was working that day. Did they want to have a skull to use for Halloween or something? This is disgusting.