In a remarkable development, after over three decades, authorities have finally identified a woman found in a LaSalle County cornfield in 1991. Paula Ann Lundgren, long known only as Jane Doe, was identified through the cutting-edge use of investigative genetic genealogy in collaboration with the FBI and Dr. Matthew Johll of Illinois Valley Community College. A list of possible relatives was identified and turned over to the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office. The list was long and required long hours of investigative work to narrow the list down. In February 2024, the FBI agreed to assist with the list, and in July a possible living relative was identified and later confirmed. “We announce today that “Jane Doe” has been identified as PAULA ANN LUNDGREN. She was born in 1962, lived primarily in the Chicagoland area, and was 29 at the time of her death discovery,” according to the joint release by the LaSalle County Sheriff and Coroner.
This pivotal identification not only brings closure to a mystery that has lingered for 33 years but also reignites the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Lundgren’s death and the quest to bring those responsible to justice. This case highlights the profound impact of genetic genealogy in solving cold cases.
On September 13, 1991, a farmer found a deceased female in a cornfield in Mission Township (near Norway) in LaSalle County. She was found underneath a curtain with hooks and was clothed in a men’s style dress shirt with stripes and black spandex pants. There were no shoes or personal effects located near her body. She had a significant amount of dental work, breast implants, and two tattoos on her body. The cause of death was determined to be probable cocaine intoxication, but her manner of death was undetermined. She was later interned at Oakwood Memorial Park. “Her headstone reads: “Somebody’s Daughter, Somebody’s Friend.“”
Information was distributed across the United States and Canada, hoping to identify her. She was exhumed in 2013 to obtain DNA, create facial reconstruction modeling, age regression, radiocarbon dating, and isotopic diet studies on her skeletal remains.
