We now know the identity of a young woman whose skull was found in 1978 in a residence under renovation in the suburbs of Chicago, reports CNN.
Due to scientific advances in DNA analysis, experts were able to reveal Thursday that the part of the skeleton found belonged to Esther Granger, a teenager who died at age 17 in 1866.
According to authorities, the young woman from Indiana lost her life due to complications during childbirth. Although she was buried in Merrillville, Indiana, her skull was discovered at a residence in Batavia, Illinois, located nearly 80 miles northwest of the cemetery where she was buried.
In 1978, a man who was renovating his home discovered the skull inside the walls of his residence. He immediately contacted the police, who opened an investigation. At the time, the authorities were able to affirm that this skull belonged to a young woman who had lived in the 19e century, but could not confirm his identity. The investigation was therefore put on ice and the skull was stored in a local museum.
In 2021, museum workers came across the skull while cleaning the place and decided to return it to the police, who reopened the investigation.
Developments in DNA analysis and genealogy allowed experts to finally discover the identity of the young woman who died 150 years earlier.
Esther Granger’s great-great-grandson, Wayne Svilar, admits he was in complete disbelief when contacted by authorities.
“To be perfectly honest, we didn’t believe a word of it. It took me two or three calls before I believed it,” he said.
If the question of the identity of the teenager of 19e century is resolved, the police still do not know why his skull ended up 130 km from the rest of the body. They believe that it could be a case of grave robbing.
