Decades-Long Jane Doe Case Finally Solved, Reuniting Victim’s Daughter with Precious Items – Connie Lorraine Christensen Identified

Investigators have finally solved a Jane Doe case after more than four decades, reuniting the victim’s daughter with precious items found with the mystery remains in rural Indiana. The remains, which were discovered by hunters in December 1982, have been identified as belonging to a 20-year-old Wisconsin woman who disappeared in April that year. Connie Lorraine Christensen was last seen in Nashville, Tennessee. She was three or four months pregnant at the time and had left her one-year-old daughter with relatives while she was away. When she didn’t return home to Wisconsin, they reported her missing.

According to the DNA Doe Project, when hunters found her skeletal remains near Jacksonburg, Indiana, Christensen was wearing high-heeled wooden soled clogs, a blue, long-sleeved button-up blouse, grey slacks, long knit socks, and a blue nylon jacket. She also wore a gold ring with an opal and two diamonds. At the time of her discovery, officials suspected foul play but no cause of death could be determined. It was thought she had been dead for eight months and was declared a Jane Doe. It’s now believed Christensen died from a gunshot wound.

Her remains were stored at the University of Indianapolis’ forensic anthropology department, and stayed there until the DNA Doe Project began collaborating with the Wayne County Coroner’s Office and investigators set out to finally identify the young woman. At the same time, her relatives were working on creating a family tree using ancestry and genealogy.

“We were fortunate enough to find two relatively close DNA relative matches in GEDmatch that led us to Connie’s family,” said DNA Doe Project team leader Lori Flowers in a press release. “Taking a DNA test and uploading to GEDmatch is the best way for families of missing persons to help organizations like ours make these identifications.”

Last Tuesday, Christensen’s adult daughter Misty LaBean, who was left behind all those years ago, was taken to the place where her mother’s body was discovered. “I have always felt like it was all about me, and I haven’t felt like that a lot in my life,” LaBean told Kicks 96. She was given the ring found on her mother’s remains and wore it to the site.

“Our hearts go out to Connie’s family, and we were honored to bring them the answers they have sought for so long,” added DNA Doe team leader Missy Koski. “I am proud of our dedicated and skilled volunteers who were able to assist law enforcement in returning Connie Christensen’s name after all this time.”