Human Remains Found in Indiana Identified as Connie Lorraine Christensen, Missing for Over 40 Years

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Human Remains Found in Rural Indiana Identified as Missing Wisconsin Woman

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — Authorities have recently announced the identification of human remains discovered in rural Indiana in 1982. The remains have been confirmed to belong to Connie Lorraine Christensen, a woman from Oregon, a community near Madison, Wisconsin. Christensen went missing over four decades ago when she was just 20 years old, and her disappearance has remained a mystery ever since.

The remains were initially found by hunters in December 1982 near Jacksonburg, a rural community located approximately 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Indianapolis. According to Lauren Ogden, chief deputy coroner of the Wayne County Coroner’s Office, Christensen died from a gunshot wound, and her case is still classified as an unsolved homicide.

Ogden revealed that Christensen was last seen in Nashville, Tennessee in April 1982. At the time, she was believed to be three to four months pregnant. She had left her 1-year-old daughter with relatives while she was away, and they reported her missing when she failed to return to Wisconsin as planned.

Following the discovery of Christensen’s remains, they were stored at the University of Indianapolis’ forensic anthropology department. The Wayne County Coroner’s Office then collaborated with the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying cold case victims, in an effort to establish her identity.

Through the extraction of DNA from the remains by the Indiana State Police’s forensic laboratory, forensic genetic genealogy was able to determine a close match with the DNA of two of Christensen’s relatives. Remarkably, at the same time, her family was independently working on constructing an accurate family tree using ancestry and genealogy.

Lauren Ogden expressed her gratitude for the DNA Doe Project’s assistance, noting that the organization was able to provide a candidate’s name much quicker than anticipated due to several of Connie’s living relatives having uploaded their DNA to an ancestry website.

Last Tuesday, Christensen’s now-adult daughter was taken to the location where her mother’s remains were found, allowing her to pay her respects by leaving flowers. Additionally, authorities presented her with a gold ring adorned with an opal and two diamonds, which had been discovered alongside her mother’s remains.

Missy Koski, a member of the DNA Doe Project, expressed her pride in the collaborative efforts that resulted in restoring “Connie Christensen’s name after all this time.”

This breakthrough in the identification of Connie Lorraine Christensen’s remains brings hope to other families of missing persons, highlighting the importance of DNA technology and genealogical research in solving cold cases. The Wayne County Coroner’s Office and the DNA Doe Project should be commended for their dedication and commitment to bringing closure to families affected by long-standing mysteries.

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