MN ST. PAUL JANE DOE: WF, 18-30, found in Mississippi River in St. Paul, MN - 20 July 1977 *MARY JENSEN*

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849UFMN - Unidentified Female​

Date of Discovery: July 20, 1977
Location of Discovery: St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota
Estimated Date of Death: 1977
State of Remains: Decomposing/Putrefaction
Cause of Death: Not Available

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 16-30 yrs old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 130 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Medium length, Brown hair, Eyes maybe Brown or Green, Multiple Abdominal STRIA (stretch marks)

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available (Multiple dental fillings, silver and gold. Chipped teeth)
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Green, red, blue vertically striped shirt with thinner lateral stripes, high waisted blue jeans, brown knee-high stockings, underwear (size 5), and shoes (approximate size 8 to 9).
Jewelry: None
Additional Personal Items: None

Circumstances of Discovery​

Victim was found in Mississippi River between Childs and Warner Road, St. Paul.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Ramsey County Medical Examiners Office
Agency Contact Person: Butch Huston, MD
Agency Phone Number: 651-266-1700
Agency E-Mail: butch.huston@co.ramsey.mn.us
Agency Case Number: 39918

NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: 4804
Former Hot Case Number: 1409

Information Source(s)​

NamUs

849UFMN

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[Romulus]

Carl Koppelman made a reconstruction of her

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

DNA Doe Project has taken on her case. Currently raising funds.

Ramsey Co Jane Doe 1977 - DNA Doe Project Cases

Description On July 20, 1977 the body of a woman was recovered from the Mississippi River between Childs Road and Warner Road, St. Paul, Minnesota. Although it could not be determined how long the deceased had been in the water, investigators estimated she had probably died sometime earlier that...

dnadoeproject.org

On July 20, 1977 the body of a woman was recovered from the Mississippi River between Childs Road and Warner Road, St. Paul, Minnesota. Although it could not be determined how long the deceased had been in the water, investigators estimated she had probably died sometime earlier that year. Forensic investigators determined the woman was White/Caucasian, 16-30 years of age, 5′ 8″tall, and weighed about 130 lbs. She had medium length brown hair and brown or green eyes. The woman was wearing a shirt with green, red, and blue vertical stripes; high waisted blue jeans; brown knee high stockings; and size 8 to 9 shoes. Cause and manner of death were not disclosed.

Ramsey County Jane Doe (1977)

Ramsey County Jane Doe was a female whose remains were found in the Mississippi River between Childs and Warner Road, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is currently undergoing testing by the DNA Doe Project. Green, red, blue, vertically-striped shirt with thinner lateral stripes. High-waisted blue...

unidentified-awareness.fandom.com

Ramsey County Jane Doe was a female whose remains were found in the Mississippi River between Childs and Warner Road, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

• Green, red, blue, vertically-striped shirt with thinner lateral stripes.
• High-waisted blue jeans.
• Brown, knee-high socks.
• Size 5 underwear.
• Size 8-9 shoes.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Ramsey Co Jane Doe 1977 - DNA Doe Project Cases

Description On July 20, 1977 the body of a woman was recovered from the Mississippi River between Childs Road and Warner Road, St. Paul, Minnesota. Although it could not be determined how long the deceased had been in the water, investigators estimated she had probably died sometime earlier that...

dnadoeproject.org

A young woman pulled from the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1977 has finally been identified by the DNA Doe Project and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s office as Mary Jensen. Investigators at the time were unable to determine how long she had been in the water, or her cause of death, and the case went cold for more than 45 years.

In March, 2021, Butch Huston of the Ramsey County ME’s office reached out to the DNA Doe Project and submitted DNA extract from Jane Doe to a series of lab processes to create a DNA profile. Later that summer, a team of dedicated and skilled DNA Doe Project volunteer investigative genetic genealogists was assembled and research began using DNA databases at GEDmatch.com and FTDNA.com.

From the beginning, the team faced challenges with the genealogy involved in working limited and distant matches, including immigrant grandparents from Finland and over 35 Italian connections. Talented DDP genealogists combined their skills in foreign language research and document investigation in the United States, Finland and Italy. They finally broke the case by thinking outside the box to put all the clues together. The team’s resourcefulness eventually led to the successful identification of Mary Jensen after 850 hours of cumulative research time.

“This case was challenging due to distant matches and recent immigration from Finland and Italy,” said team leader Gwen Knapp. “We are very grateful for all who uploaded their DNA profiles to GEDMatch.com and my team and I are honored to have been given the opportunity to give Mary her name back”.

Nonprofit cracks 45-year-old cold case to name woman pulled from Mississippi River

A team of volunteer DNA researchers was able to trace genealogy clues to determine the identity of a young woman pulled from the Mississippi River in St. Paul nearly 50 years ago.

www.cbsnews.com

Nonprofit cracks 45-year-old cold case to name woman pulled from Mississippi River​

The researchers cracked the case after discovering recent links to Finland and Italy. The search led investigators to comb through documents from those two countries, and they eventually determined that the woman was Jensen.