Kane County coroner, Batavia police seek public’s help solving 45-year-old mystery

In 1978, a couple remodeling a Batavia home made a shocking discovery.

As the wife tore out a plaster wall with a claw hammer, a bone fell out.

When Batavia police investigated, they found more — a skull — and tried to find out to whom it belonged, with help from anthropologists. But nothing came of it.

Now, Batavia police and Kane County Coroner Rob Russell are tackling the mystery again. And they are asking for the public’s help through crowdfunding.

They are having the skull examined by Othram, a company that uses forensic investigative genetic genealogy tools and techniques such as advanced DNA extraction and sequencing, to identify the woman by finding her relatives.

Anyone can be part of solving this mystery, by chipping in to cover the $7,500 cost.

Authorities have set up a crowdfunding account at dnasolves.com.

According to a 1978 newspaper article, the couple was remodeling an apartment in a house at Van Buren and Wilson streets on Batavia’s east side. The building formerly housed a barbershop, according to the article.

When the wife discovered the bones she called police, who sought help from anthropologists at Northern Illinois University and geologists at University of Illinois. It was determined the bones belonged to a woman who was in her mid-20s at the time of her death. The bones had been there for several decades, according to a news release.

There are no obvious signs the woman’s death was a homicide, Russell said.

But since the bones were inside a wall, “that’s kind of suspicious on its own,” Russell added.

The case went cold, but Batavia police hung on to the skull and bones. The few details police had were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

The case went cold.

Earlier this year, the skull and bones were discovered when the department did an audit of its cold cases.

Russell acknowledged his office could pay the total cost of the testing.

“I think it is just more appropriate” to have at least some of the costs donated, he said.

He noted the $7,500 cost is equivalent to that of three or four regular autopsies.

Donating “allows other people to feel like they are part of something,” he said.

Anyone who has information that can aid the investigation is urged to call (630) 454-2500, and reference case number 78-5090.