Death – Obituary – Accident and Crime News : Human remains discovered in rural Indiana in 1982 have finally been identified as those belonging to Connie Lorraine Christensen, a Wisconsin woman who went missing over 40 years ago. The remains were found by hunters near Jacksonburg, a rural community approximately 60 miles east of Indianapolis. The Wayne County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Christensen had died from a gunshot wound, and her homicide case remains unsolved.
Christensen, who hailed from the Madison, Wisconsin-area community of Oregon, was last seen in Nashville, Tennessee, in April 1982. At the time of her disappearance, she was believed to be three to four months pregnant. Christensen had left her 1-year-old daughter with relatives while she traveled, but she never returned as planned, prompting her family to report her missing.
For years, Christensen’s unidentified remains were stored at the forensic anthropology department of the University of Indianapolis. The Wayne County Coroner’s Office then collaborated with the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying cold case victims, to solve the mystery surrounding her death. The Indiana State Police’s forensic laboratory successfully extracted DNA from the remains, which ultimately matched the DNA of two of Christensen’s relatives.
Remarkably, while the identification efforts were underway, Christensen’s family was independently working on constructing an accurate family tree through ancestry and genealogy research. Several of her living relatives had uploaded their DNA to an ancestry website, which significantly expedited the identification process.
Upon learning of her mother’s identification, Christensen’s now-adult daughter was taken to the location where the remains were found. She had the opportunity to pay her respects by leaving flowers at the site. Additionally, authorities presented her with a gold ring adorned with an opal and two diamonds, a sentimental item discovered alongside her mother’s remains.
Missy Koski, a member of the DNA Doe Project, expressed pride in the collaborative efforts that successfully restored Connie Christensen’s name after all these years. The identification of her remains brings hope that the unsolved homicide case may finally be resolved, providing closure for Christensen’s family and justice for her tragic death.
In conclusion, the long-awaited identification of Connie Lorraine Christensen’s remains marks a significant breakthrough in a cold case that has haunted investigators for decades. With the collaboration between the Wayne County Coroner’s Office and the DNA Doe Project, there is renewed optimism that the circumstances surrounding Christensen’s untimely demise will be fully investigated and her killer brought to justice.