Katharina Buczek
It took the DNA Doe Project over one year to develop a workable DNA profile before volunteers could actually begin the DNA matching process. Once genetic genealogy was ready to be performed, though, the non-profit’s group of expert volunteers got to work.
Now, authorities are certain that the deceased woman was Dorothy Ricker, who had gone missing in Milwaukee on October 2, 1997.
“The genealogy process of identifying Dorothy was relatively quick. The team was able to narrow in on a family of interest within a day thanks to having solid family matches in GedMatch.com, the site where we did all of the genetic genealogy,” explained Gwen Knapp, the team’s leader.
At the time of Dorothy’s discovery in 1997, her case was ruled an accidental drowning. And today, her cause of death still has not changed.
“We’ve always had a pretty good idea of who the person was that washed up on shore. Just based on the timeline and what we knew, but we were never able to positively identify the person,” Lt. Carroll said.
Nonetheless, the Ricker family has finally been given answers after all of these years. In this case, the DNA Doe Project compared Dorothy’s DNA to genealogy databases and ultimately found her brother in Maine and her daughter in Chicago.
So, Dorothy’s family members now know for sure what exactly happened to her after she disappeared.
“In this case, it brought some closure to a family. We have a daughter here whom we identified in Chicago, and now she can say that was her mother, and she has, in fact, passed. And this is what happened to her,” Lt. Carroll added.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
Tired Of Eating Regular Salad? Try Making This Charred Romaine Instead
