A decades-old cold case in Wisconsin has taken a significant step forward thanks to advances in genetic genealogy. Investigators are now exploring the possibility that Mary Jane Connor, who immigrated from Northern Ireland in 1907, may be the grandmother of the unidentified woman known as 'Wolf River Joanne Doe.'
The skull of 'Joanne' was discovered by two teenage boys snorkeling in the Wolf River in Winneconne, Wisconsin, on July 26, 1985. At the time, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office dive team searched the riverbed for the rest of her remains, but nothing else was found.
Initial examinations in 1985 by James Provinzano, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, suggested the skull belonged to a woman around 30 years old who had been deceased for 15 to 40 years. More recently, biological anthropologist Jordan Karsten of UW-Oshkosh determined 'Joanne' was a Caucasian woman between 30 and 50 years old, estimating the skull had been submerged for 20 years or less.
Investigators have been working since 2011 to identify 'Joanne.' The recent breakthrough came when Lieutenant Chris Braman received DNA testing results from a 91-year-old Northern Irish man who lived in Mary Jane Connor's hometown. These results indicated a strong genetic match, leading officials to determine the man was Connor's nephew. This connection suggests that 'Joanne' is a direct descendant of Bernard Connor, one of Mary Jane Connor's four siblings, and his wife Alice O'Hagan.
Further DNA analysis indicates 'Joanne' has genetic roots that are 99 percent Irish or Northern English. Investigators are now focusing on Mary Jane Connor herself, hoping to identify her parents and siblings through genealogy research. Records show Connor was born in Northern Ireland and arrived in New York aboard the steamship Caledonia on August 24, 1907. While her parents, Owen and Mary Connor, and some of her siblings, nieces, and nephews appear in historical records, Mary Jane Connor is notably absent from family obituaries. "We can speculate as to why that was – whether she was a black sheep, or they didn't want her to leave and she left – but it definitely appears that she wasn't recognized in the family after she was gone," Braman told The Post-Crescent.
Authorities have consulted the Manchester Historical Society, professional genealogists, and relatives of the Connor family to gather more information. The Sheriff's Office has publicized the new developments in the hope that a relative of Mary Jane Connor will submit their DNA for additional testing to help solve the cold case. "We're like one record away right now. If we could figure out who Mary Jane married, I think we would be in really good shape," Braman stated.