New Buffalo, MI – After 37 years, Michigan authorities have identified the woman whose remains washed ashore in New Buffalo in 1988. The case, long known as the “New Buffalo Jane Doe,” has been solved through advancements in DNA technology and genealogical research.The deceased has been identified as Dorothy Glanton, a Black woman originally from Alabama who had been living in Chicago.
The breakthrough came after the case was reopened in 2023, leading investigators to collaborate with the DNA Doe Project, a non-profit organization specializing in forensic genealogy. By comparing the unidentified woman’s DNA to publicly available databases,researchers were able to construct a family tree,ultimately leading to Glanton’s identification. The case highlights the growing power of DNA analysis in resolving cold cases and correcting past investigative assumptions.
Initial investigations in the 1980s led authorities to believe the remains belonged to a white woman in her 40s or 50s,based on the body’s appearance after being in the water. Though,subsequent DNA analysis revealed the woman was actually Black and in her early 70s. “So many cases where investigators put so much time into talking to this person and talking to that person. They could be going down the entirely wrong path,” said lead detective Moore. “And this – DNA is not wrong, you cannot get that wrong. So if it’s a match, it’s a match. If you’re related, you’re related.”
The DNA Doe Project noted that misidentifications like this were “relatively common in the era prior to DNA analysis and the widespread use of forensic anthropology.” Researchers eventually discovered a newspaper ad placed by Glanton’s mother in august 1988, desperately seeking her daughter, which proved to be a crucial clue.
Dorothy Glanton was born and raised in Alabama and moved to Chicago with her family during the Great Migration in the 1920s. She lived with her husband in Chicago and was described by her family as an integral part of thier family unit. Glanton had no children, and her disappearance had long baffled her relatives.
“They were like, ’We’ve always wondered what happened to her,'” Moore said, recounting conversations with Glanton’s family. The family has been informed of the identification and is planning a gathering to celebrate the news. “Last time I talked to the family about a week ago, they said they are going to get the whole family together and celebrate the news,” Moore stated. “So it’s nice. It’s really nice.”
