406UFWI - Unidentified Female

Reconstruction of the decedent; area where the remains were discovered..

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

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 35-60 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.

Identifiers

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.

Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Discovery

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.

Investigating Agency(s)

Agency Name: St. Croix County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Investigator James Haefner
Agency Phone Number: 715-381-4325
Agency E-Mail: james.haefner(at)sccwi.gov
Agency Case Number: 02-8657

Agency Name: St. Croix County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 715-381-4358
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: so2002008657

NCIC Case Number: U660022931
NamUs Case Number: 9106

Information Source(s)

NamUs
WLAX 25/FOX

Admin Notes

Added: Prior to 2006; Last Updated: 8/23/22