Overview

• Sharkey was found unconscious after an apparent assault off Route 99 near Woodstock in July 1971, was hospitalized, and died on Sept. 7, 1971.
• In October 2024, a private forensic company extracted DNA from refrigerated histology slides and built a family tree that led investigators to her identity.
• A DOJ-assisted composite, AI imaging by Loyola University Maryland interns, and NamUS records supported the effort but did not produce a name on their own.
• Detectives identified two surviving children — Mildred Marie Cantwell, 81, of Springfield, Illinois, and Charles Leroy Sharkey, 79, of Cleveland — and reunited them in July.
• Police believe she primarily lived in Pennsylvania, and the case remains open with a reward of up to $30,000 for information about her movements and who attacked her.