Wisconsin authorities ask for help identifying Jane Doe whose skull was found in 2002
Investigators in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, are hoping the public can help identify a woman whose skull was found near the St. Croix River in 2002.
The St. Croix County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice on Wednesday released new details about the cold case, stating they now believe the woman was of Swedish descent.
Initially, investigators believed the woman was of Asian descent but genetic genealogists with the DNA Doe Project recently determined she was Swedish, with investigators believing her relatives may have emigrated to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Investigators believe the woman was likely between 35- and 50-years-old and had "widely spaced eyes, a flat face and a pronounced forehead," a news release says.
The sheriff's office's website says Jane Doe's skull and mandible were found in a wooded area of a Boy Scout camp near Houlton, Wisconsin on Oct. 21, 2002. A cause of death was not determined.
Authorities speculate her skull was left there within a year of it being discovered.
Investigators are asking the public to contact the sheriff's office with information about anyone who matches Jane Doe's description and who disappeared before October 2002.
Potential family members of Jane Doe may need to confirm her identity by providing a DNA sample, the sheriff's office said.
Anyone with information is asked to email James Haefner at james.haefner@sccwi.gov or call him at 715-381-4325.
