Identified! MI - Covert Township, WhtFem 730UFMI, 23-40, Near I-96, Oct'88 - Marcia Bateman

[Al Ka]

MSP: 'DNA is perfect' to help solve cold case

Now, Michigan State Police forensic artists have created a new batch of renderings hoping someone will recognize the woman and put a name to a face. Also, with the passage of time, technology has changed and new clues have come to light.

"DNA is the best. You know, used to be you'd use fingerprints,” explained Scott Ernstes, detective and sergeant with the Michigan State Police. “Well, she's a skeleton, we don't have fingerprints. We do have dental in there from an X-ray, but that requires the other side of the missing to have had dental X-rays on file or recovered them.

“DNA is perfect, because it's mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, uncle. Anybody gets a swab, we send it, we profile it and it gets put in and searched automatically."

Ernstes says 196 Jane had light brown or brownish hair, was around 5 feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds. Investigators believe 196 Jane was between 18 and 30 years old and had at least one child.

They also determined she had a precursor to Osteoporosis, a rarity for someone her age.

"We're hoping some family member out there can say, ‘Well, my aunt had something similar to that,’ and they will reach out,” Ernstes said.

Just adding new sketches mentioned in the article

(click to enlarge)

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

(I wonder if they are referring to DNA Doe Project or Parabon)

Jane Doe is an active DDP case and has been entered into GEDmatch.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Jane Doe is an active DDP case and has been entered into GEDmatch.

Update from DDP:

"DNA Doe Project Announcement: I-196 Jane Doe - Covert, Michigan (1988)

Status:
The DNA Doe Project has recently taken over this case and research is in progress.

Who was I-196 Jane Doe?
On October 12, 1988 a hunter discovered human skeletal remains adjacent to I-196 near CR 378 in Covert Township, MI. It is estimated the victim died (or was placed at the location) three months to a year prior to being found. Forensic investigators determined the remains were of a White/Caucasian female, approximately 5 feet tall and weighing around 100 pounds. The deceased was between 15 and 40 years and had light brown to blond shoulder-length hair, possibly wavy. During autopsy the anthropologist discovered the remains showed signs of Osteopenia, which is a precursor to Osteoporosis, and which shows up in younger women. Investigators believe the woman had given birth to at least one child.

NamUs: UP6653
Date found: 12 Oct 1988
Race: White / Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age: 15-40 years
PMI: Three months
Location: Covert Township, Michigan

Anyone who believes they have relevant information on this case should contact authorities directly:

Michigan State Police, Special Investigation Section
Scott Ernstes, Detective Sergeant
269.657.5551
ernstess@michigan.gov

Links to More Information:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
The Doe Network: 730UFMI
DNA Doe Project: Cases Archive - DNA Doe Project Cases
Michigan State Police: MSP - Michigan State Police
Photos: Police seek help identifying ‘196 Jane’; found dead in 1988 near Covert
Michigan State Police trying new approach to identify a Jane Doe found in 1988

Facial approximation image provided by the Michigan State Police.

Many thanks to our thoughtful supporters for their continued support and interest in the DNA Doe Project. As always, we ask that commenters remain respectful to our Does and their families.

Please continue to educate and advocate for transfers to Family Tree DNA and gedmatch.com opt-IN.

#DNADoeProject
#I196JaneDoe
#CovertTownshipMichigan
#GEDmatchOptIn
#OptIn "

 

[taramarie]

Identified

30-year-old mystery solved: ‘196 Jane’ ID’d through genealogy

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Identified

30-year-old mystery solved: ‘196 Jane’ ID’d through genealogy

Copy/pasting from the link due to restrictions outside the US:

"Thirty years after a hunter stumbled across the skeletal remains of a woman off I-196 in Van Buren County, she finally has a name:
Maria White Bateman.

Bateman, 28, was from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

“It sounds like she had a lifestyle in which she was living on the street a little bit and somewhat transient,” Michigan State Police Detective 1st Lt. Chuck Christensen said. “So the fact that we have somebody from Oklahoma City who made it up to Michigan could be explained in that way.”

The tool that allowed police to identify Bateman: genealogy testing. It’s being heralded as the biggest investigative breakthrough since fingerprints at the turn of the century and DNA in the mid-1980s.

In April, state police, partnering with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, submitted a femur bone from the skeletal remains discovered in Covert Township in 1988 to be compared against DNA submitted to a public genealogy database.

“We had done everything we could on those remains though the years,” Christensen explained. “Dental records, CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) entries, everything we could do, and we were not able to make an identification.”

But after 30 years of investigative efforts, forensic genealogy testing developed a possible match in just five weeks.

After reaching out to friends and relatives of Bateman’s in Oklahoma City, police, through additional investigation, were able to confirm the skeletal remains as Bateman’s. Family had filed a missing person’s report decades ago.

The case is now classified as a death investigation as police work to determine whether Bateman was a victim of homicide.

“The detectives at the Paw Paw Post have been conducting interviews,” Christensen said. “They’ve been working on this very hard to make a determination on the circumstances of what happened and how she came to be in Michigan.”"

 

[Liv27]

Wow! That’s number 18 (I think) for DNA Doe Project! Great work. I’ll be thinking of Maria’s family and friends during this time of great sadness.

Will someone update this thread when a photograph and DDP’s announcement is released?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Police said Friday that through genealogy DNA testing, the deceased woman was positively identified as Marcia Kaylynn Bateman of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Bateman’s family has been contacted and they are “grateful” that she’s been located.

Investigators are still working to determine how Bateman ended up dead in Michigan.
‘I-196 Jane’ cold case victim found in 1988 has been identified

 

[JovanSrna]

After 3 decades, body of‘I-196 Jane’ is identified
There will be a press conference on Monday.
''She was last seen in May 1988. She was reported missing to Oklahoma City police that August. She was known to visit family and friends in Dallas and Los Angeles and other areas of California. Police said she might have visited those cities before she went missing.
Police do not yet known how or why she ended up in Michigan.

Police asked anyone who knew her to contact investigators.

They have also asked anyone who stayed in the Covert Campground off CR-378 or the state park campground near South Haven during the summer of 1988 to try to recall anything suspicious happening.''

 

[Melt71]

Family had made an MP report in 1988 what a pity the match wasn’t picked up long ago. RIP.

 

[sans_soleil]

Is it Marcia or Maria?
Rest in peace While every single one of these identifications is bittersweet, I am sure this provides a resolution for her relatives, as well as finally the chance to properly commemorate her existence. Genealogy research has truly been a breakthrough in giving the unidentified their names back, I am thoroughly in admiration of the work being done in this field.

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Is it Marcia or Maria?

Update from DDP's Facebook page:

"DNA Doe Project is pleased to announce that I 196 Jane Doe found in Covert Township, MI in 1988 has been identified. Her name was Marcia Kaylynn Bateman, from Oklahoma. She was 28 years old at the time of her death. Further details will be shared during an upcoming press conference November 25, 2019.

We are grateful for all the hard work by our volunteer genealogists, and also want to express our appreciation to the following: Richard Weiss, Bode Technology, FTDNA, GEDmatch.com, and D/Sgt. Scott Ernstes of the Michigan State Police for entrusting us with this case. We also thank family members for their assistance and cooperation. Our sincere sympathies go out to them for their loss.

Michigan State Police:
"A phone number and email address have been established for tips on this investigation. Please call 844-642-8384 or email us at MSP-51TIPS@michigan.gov with any information you may have.""

Edit: A picture of Marcia Bateman.

 

[Gardener1850]

Update from DDP's Facebook page:

"DNA Doe Project is pleased to announce that I 196 Jane Doe found in Covert Township, MI in 1988 has been identified. Her name was Marcia Kaylynn Bateman, from Oklahoma. She was 28 years old at the time of her death. Further details will be shared during an upcoming press conference November 25, 2019.

We are grateful for all the hard work by our volunteer genealogists, and also want to express our appreciation to the following: Richard Weiss, Bode Technology, FTDNA, GEDmatch.com, and D/Sgt. Scott Ernstes of the Michigan State Police for entrusting us with this case. We also thank family members for their assistance and cooperation. Our sincere sympathies go out to them for their loss.

Michigan State Police:
"A phone number and email address have been established for tips on this investigation. Please call 844-642-8384 or email us at MSP-51TIPS@michigan.gov with any information you may have.""

Edit: A picture of Marcia Bateman.

Oh, she is so lovely. I hope they can find out how she ended up in Michigan. Her being "transient" doesn't seem like enough of an explanation to me. I know people can travel far by hitchhiking but I feel like where she was found someone had to have known her or met her and brought her there. Looking forward to that update on Nov 25th with more info.

Rest in peace Marcia. You have your name back and you won't be forgotten now.

 

[DSCrime]

Congratulations to DNA Doe Project for another successful identification. My condolences to Marcia Bateman's family.

Just so sad that even tho her family filed a missing persons report in August 1988 there wasn't a match later.

Wondering if anyone with local knowledge could share what this part of Michigan was like in the late 80s. Was the region known for any summer festivals that might have attracted people from other parts of the country to visit?

''She was last seen in May 1988. She was reported missing to Oklahoma City police that August. She was known to visit family and friends in Dallas and Los Angeles and other areas of California. Police said she might have visited those cities before she went missing.
Police do not yet known how or why she ended up in Michigan.

Police asked anyone who knew her to contact investigators.

They have also asked anyone who stayed in the Covert Campground off CR-378 or the state park campground near South Haven during the summer of 1988 to try to recall anything suspicious happening.''

 

[Triss]

Rest in peace, Marcia <3
And great job DDP!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Marcia lived minutes from me. She is one of ours in my state. I’m so happy her family can finally bring her home to our Oklahoma. I was thrilled when I found this notice yesterday. It means so much to her family and promotes the organization. Thank you DNA DOE PROJECT! You have brought peace to so many. Keep up the great work. Never give up hope.

 

[iulia]

Another picture of Marcia in this article

Police ID 'I-196 Jane' after 31 years

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I’m trying to think what was going on around me in 1988 and - I’m guessing Marcia too -

I had four young kids. She had at least one as I think I read. It was a bad year for weather. We had seventeen tornadoes in Oklahoma that year. So many directly affecting our OKC area. Several right before she went out of sight. They weren’t major tornadoes like I’m accustomed to (I’ve lived in Moore my entire life) but enough to cause damage, stress, disorganization and fear. She was 28. I was 32. Tornadoes are scary. Believe me. Who knows what was going on in her surroundings? Except her family and friends.

1988 Oklahoma Tornadoes


I’m beginning to read previous posts. It’s kinda freaking me out a bit. I just read a description from post #37. This could have been me. I’m serious. The height, weight, hair - and then I read the word ‘osteoporosis ‘. Now, I can feel the seriousness tensing my body a little. My bone density is off the charts in a bad way. Anyway, it runs in my family. We’re all small bone frame. I’m barely 4’11” and 90 lbs. I kid you not - this could have been me from the skeletal details. That detail alone is helpful to include in the identification process. It’s so tough to read the word ‘skeleton’ It sure makes it feel real and hits home. My little brother disappeared in the early 90’s. My three sisters, my cousin and I found his body in the woods after four long months of searching for him. Skeleton is the right word. It’s hard to hear. Tragic to see. Heartbreaking to feel. There’s no doubt in my mind - that we would still be out there somewhere looking to this day - hoping we would find him. That he would someday walk into Mama’s door - alive with some outlandish explanation. But alive. The unknown is the worst part of the whole thing. It’s painful and life changing. I can’t even begin to explain...


Anyway, I remember 1988 was a time of Bruce Springsteen, Soviet Union, Bush, AIDS and “Say No To Drugs”. I’m interested if we will hear more about her reported visits to other states. It should prove helpful in understanding her actions and mind set at the time. So I guess Monday, we’ll hear some of Marcia’s story. She has one. It’s hers. And hers alone. Now she has her name. Now her family and friends have peace. Now Marcia will come home.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In November, police said DNA confirmation was received that “I-196 Jane” was Marcia Kaylynn Bateman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
SOURCE: Michigan State Police

The identity was made by comparing a femur bone with a public genealogy database, police said.

If you have any information, call Michigan State Police at 844-642-8384 or email them at MSP-51TIPS@michigan.gov.
Remains found in Michigan identified 31 years later as those of missing OKC woman

Embedded video:
https://media.wzzm13.com/embeds/video/69-8150436/iframe

MSP identifies 'I-196 Jane' from 1988 cold case


ETA:***Personal note: My brother was transient. Not only by choice. But as an unintended consequence of the disease of addiction. He was living on the streets. We tried to help him. For years. He was my brother and I still can’t explain it. Even to myself. Our family blames ourselves. We always will. People make bad choices sometimes. Sometimes, I fear judgment toward victims and their families. It was at a time of high cocaine use. I lost both my brothers due to coke and alcohol within years apart. There is no indication I’ve read to indicate drug use in Marcia’s case. I remember the era and location very well. It comes to mind when I look back at the culture of the times. At this point, pending the PC - I personally think she may have willingly left. With a real bad dude. Only she didn’t know it until it was too late. If so, I’m sorry she had to experience that before death.


Christensen said Bateman was "living on the street a little and somewhat transient.
Remains Found By Michigan Hunter In 1988 ID'd As Oklahoma Woman

 

[Earth]

I'm trying to work out if her hair was red or not (it's not too clear in the photos). If it was, then there may be a possibility that she was a Redhead Murders victim.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I'm trying to work out if her hair was red or not (it's not too clear in the photos). If it was, then there may be a possibility that she was a Redhead Murders victim.

I read in one of the first posts that she had light brown hair. Then in a later articles, it stated light blonde. I’ll try and find the articles to back this up when I’m able.