strada. Charles, Illinois-
Investigators have determined that the skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.
According to a timeline provided by the Kane County Coroner’s Office, the property owner found the skull while renovating a home in Batavia. The police launched an investigation but the case was closed and the skull was moved to the Batavia Depot Museum for preservation.
The skull remained forgotten until March 2021, when museum supervisors discovered it during an inventory check. They called the police, who sent the skull to the medical examiner’s office. Working with Othram Laboratories, a Texas forensics laboratory that assists law enforcement, the office was able to construct a DNA profile from the skull that indicated it was that of Esther Granger, a 17-year-old woman who died during the I leave in Merrillville. Indiana, in 1866.
Kane County Coroner Rob Russell is photographed with an artist’s rendering of Esther Granger’s likeness as he speaks during a news conference Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in St. Charles, Illinois. (Brian Hill/Daily Herald via AP)
Investigators matched the DNA profile to that of Granger’s great-grandson, Wayne Silvar, allowing them to confirm his identity. Officials buried the skull in the West Batavia Cemetery last August at the city’s expense.
It is unclear how Granger’s skull ended up in Batavia. Burial records indicate that she was buried in Lake County, Indiana. Kane County Coroner Rob Russell speculated in a news release that grave robbers may have dug up his body to sell to doctors seeking to learn more about human anatomy.
“Typical TV expert. Professional reader. Organizer. Friendly coffee fan. Twitter nerd.”
