MINNESOTA — Advancements in DNA technology and forensic geology were at the forefront of three key Minnesota cold cases solved in 2024 — and investigators hope the momentum continues into the new year.
Breakthroughs in forensic science technologies are allowing investigators to submit samples that previously didn’t qualify for DNA analysis, creating a new playing field for those handling cold cases.
ADVERTISEMENT
Newly uncovered DNA detected on degraded or previously unusable samples can be entered into national databases like the Combined DNA Index System, where they can be checked against thousands of samples from known offenders.
Yet in cases where newly extracted DNA samples do not meet their match in CODIS, there’s another option: forensic genealogy.
Forensic genealogy utilizes DNA databases, alongside the use of genealogical research tools like birth records, death records, obituaries and newspaper archives.
The process often begins with a DNA match to a distant relative of the unidentified — or likely assailant. From there, it’s a process of working backwards through the individual’s family tree.
“They build family trees and research those matches in order to find the right branch of the tree that includes the Doe,” Pam Lauritzen, DNA Doe Project executive director of media and communications, told Forum News Service in August. “This can take a few hours, or a few years, depending on how closely or distantly related the matches are to the Doe.”
These methods were critical in three Minnesota cases this year, including two previously unidentified individuals and one homicide investigation.
Baby Jane Doe
A week-old baby, wearing only a diaper, was discovered by a woman out for a walk on April 3, 1980 on Highway 74 in Cold Spring, Minn.
ADVERTISEMENT
An autopsy revealed she was clean and her umbilical cord had been properly managed, yet her tongue was missing, according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office investigative file obtained by Forum News Service.
For decades, her case remained a mystery.
Investigators sought answers with neighbors and possible suspects in the area, yet their case ultimately led to dead ends —until DNA technology and forensic genealogy delivered the baby’s identity this year.
DNA technology led investigators to the identity of the baby’s mother and father. Because the mother died in 1995, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office made the decision to drop the case after her identity was revealed.
The father told investigators he was unaware he had a daughter in 1980 and expressed deep shock and sympathy, according to the investigative file.
Hill Building John Doe
The DNA Doe Project announced this year the identity of the man whose partially decomposed body was discovered in an abandoned St. Paul building in the winter of 1985.
Frank Nicholas Augenti, a previous resident of Pennsylvania and New York, was 33 years old at the time of his death.
ADVERTISEMENT
Investigators determined he succumbed to the harsh Minnesota winter elements .
Despite the known cause of death, investigators were unable to unearth his identity. A duffel bag was discovered near his body, yet there were no identification cards or clues.
Mary Schlais
Mary Schlais, a 25-year-old University of Minnesota graduate, was hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago on Feb. 15, 1974 when she was picked up by a man driving a gold-colored vehicle .
Later that day, a witness saw a man throw her body from the vehicle on a rural Wisconsin dead end road. She had been stabbed more than 15 times.
For decades, the case remained a priority for the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office — and this year, their hard work paid off.
Thanks to a partnership with New Jersey’s Ramapo College’s team of genetic genealogists, the likely identity of the man who threw Schlais out of his car was revealed.
ADVERTISEMENT
When presented with evidence that his DNA had been detected at a hat found near Schlais’ body, Miller told investigators he picked Schlais up and, when she denied his advances, a fight ensued, leading to her death.
The Trust Project
