Tabetha Ann Murlin : “Pregnant Woman’s Cold Case Solved: Father’s DNA Reveals Indiana’s 1992 Tragedy”

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A pregnant woman who was found dead in 1992 in a northeastern Indiana basement has been identified through forensic genetic genealogy and DNA provided by her father, authorities said Thursday.

The woman was identified as Tabetha Ann Murlin of Fort Wayne, who was about 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, said Allen County Coroner Dr. E. Jon Brandenberger.

“This is Tabetha’s day, and you’ve been waiting to have a day for her for all this time,” the coroner said at a news conference attended by some of Murlin’s relatives nearly 32 years after her body was discovered.

Brandenberger said Murlin would have been 23 when a construction worker found her decomposed body wrapped in a blanket in May 1992 in the flooded basement of a home being renovated in Fort Wayne.

Located in northeastern Indiana, Fort Wayne is the setting of a tragic incident that unfolded in 1992. It was in this city that a construction worker stumbled upon the decomposed body of a woman, wrapped in a blanket, in the flooded basement of a home undergoing renovations. The identity of this woman remained a mystery for over three decades.

Investigators estimated the then-unidentified woman died between late 1991 and early 1992.

Despite efforts to identify the body at the time, authorities faced a dead end. However, in 2016, a renewed effort was made to solve this cold case. In March 2017, the body was exhumed to collect DNA samples for analysis.

Thanks to advancements in forensic genetic genealogy, a nearly complete DNA profile was eventually extracted and uploaded to a database of offenders. Subsequently, in January, the profile was also uploaded to genealogical databases, paving the way for a breakthrough in the case.

Utilizing this DNA information, a forensic genealogy company successfully traced Murlin’s family lineage. This breakthrough led to the identification of Tabetha Ann Murlin, a resident of Fort Wayne who was about 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

The long-awaited revelation came after Murlin’s father provided a DNA sample for testing in January, confirming her identity.

As of now, the cause and manner of Murlin’s death remain undetermined, and the investigation into this tragic incident continues.