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Remains Found in Lake Michigan in 1988 Identified as Chicago Woman Dorothy Glanton

Genetic genealogy by the DNA Doe Project corrected earlier forensic assumptions to identify the 71-year-old Chicago woman.

Overview

  • Michigan State Police confirmed this week that the New Buffalo Jane Doe is Dorothy Glanton, partnering with the DNA Doe Project on the case.
  • The body was recovered on April 8, 1988 along the Lake Michigan shoreline near New Buffalo, Michigan.
  • Glanton was reported missing after leaving her Chicago home on December 9, 1987, and the cause of death remains undetermined.
  • Initial assessments in 1988 misidentified the victim as a white woman in her 40s or 50s; genetic genealogy showed she was African American and in her 70s.
  • Volunteer genealogists built a family tree in 2023 and found a key lead in an August 1988 newspaper ad placed by a relative for Glanton’s mother, and police publicly thanked the team for its assistance.