Cold Case Murder Mystery Solved: Patricia Kathleen McGlone Identified After 50 Years

NEW YORK – A cold case murder mystery in midtown Manhattan is now closer to being solved. The victim, identified as “Jane Doe” (the name given to unidentified female victims) after being murdered five decades ago, has been identified as finally through one of her relatives, who died on September 11.

On West 46th Street between 8th and 9th avenues in Hell’s Kitchen, the past, present and future intersect because of science and police work.

It was February 10, 2003, when construction workers made a shocking discovery while inside a building that was about to be demolished.

“When it hit the cement floor, a skull popped out,” said Detective Ryan Glas.

The unsolved case captured the nation’s curiosity: the skeleton of a 16-year-old boy wrapped in a carpet and encased in cement.

“They tied her up with an electric cord and the remains that were found were exactly what she was, she was in the fetal position,” the cold case detective said.

After 21 years, the teenager known as “Midtown Jane Doe” now has a name and an identity. Her name is Patricia Kathleen McGlone.

Detective Gray and the New York Police Department’s cold case team got the news, the result of decades of teamwork.

“Detective Gerard Gardner was the detective who caught the case. He did a great job,” Glas explained.

A family tree led to possible relatives, from which McGlone’s identity was discovered because his DNA matched a family member who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“We were able to confirm that they were from the same family,” Glas said.

Detective Glas then began to find out more about the teenager from New York, including where she grew up.

“She was Catholic and she lived in Sunset Park,” he said. “She was baptized, received communion and finally confirmed. He went to public school and he went to Catholic school. ” She went to Charles Dewey High School in Sunset Park.”

It is believed that he was murdered in 1969, and the place where McGlone’s body was found was once home to a bar where rock stars hung out.

“Jimmy Hendrix, a lot of other bands,” Glas explained. “From the mid ’60s to the late ’60s, that basement was a nightclub, a rock and roll club.”

Inside the cement tomb were not only McGlone’s remains but also a ring marked with initials.

“PMcG lives up to its name. Patricia Kathleen McGlone,” according to Glas.

Investigators also found a dime from 1969, giving investigators a head start. Also buried with the teenager was a plastic toy soldier wrapped in carpet.

Investigators believe the toy may have belonged to a child born to McGlone. Now, with a confirmed identity, the NYPD will move on to the next step of the investigation: catching the killer.

“In any investigation, especially any homicide investigation, the first thing you need to have is the name of the victim because that gives you a starting point,” Glas said.