Nov 29, 2019
COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Along Interstate 196 south of South Haven, Covert Township Police were stymied by a pair of decades-long mysteries:
What were the identities of the two bodies found near the highway a decade apart? And, how did they get there?
The woman’s body, found in 1988, was nicknamed 196 Jane Doe, and now has a name thanks to the Michigan State Police genealogy project: Marcia Bateman, of Oklahoma City.
The man’s body, discovered in 1979, never got a nickname and remains nameless.
Police hope DNA from his remains will help identify him, too.
[...]
The two are among seven sets of remains state police from the Fifth District are trying to identify through the genealogy project.
[..]
But there are other mysteries.
The partial skull of a boy, possibly 7 to 12 years old, was found buried in St. Joseph County in 1993.
Back on Christmas Eve 1987, a skeleton was discovered in woods in Van Buren County’s Keeler Township. He was dressed in layers ski jacket and a plaid shirt over a Busch Gardens t-shirt with a pair of Clydesdale horses on the back.
Police said this is the only real chance for families of the missing.
“They don’t know what happened. They’re just gone,” Christensen said. “They don’t have the remains, they don’t have closure, they don’t have any idea what happened, so when you look at it from that standpoint, it’s something you have to do, you can’t not do it.”
Indiana State Police Capt. Kevin Smith, who used the technology to catch a child killer, said identifying the remains, in some cases, could eventually lead to other killers.
“Some of those are crimes and some of those are not,” Smith said. “If you can’t identify who it is, it is nearly impossible to go the next step and figure out what happened. Often, it is skeletal remains, so the cause of death is very difficult to determine. If you don’t have an identification, you don’t even know where to start.”
Read More:
Retired chief hopes new DNA test solves 40-year mystery
BBM.
Marcia Bateman's thread:
Identified! - MI - Covert Township, WhtFem 730UFMI, 23-40, Near I-96, Oct'88 - Marcia Bateman
The 5 other Doe threads they are attempting to ID:
1979 Covert Twp John Doe:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
MI - MI - Van Buren Co, Wht/HispMale, 33-69, Broken Nose, Spanish Medallion, Timex, Covert Twp, July 1979
1988 New Buffalo Jane Doe:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
MI - MI - New Buffalo, Wht Fem 43-53 UP8228 foud in lake Michigan April 1988
2010 Covert Township John Doe
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
MI - MI- Van Buren Co, Asian Male, 25-40, Beach of Lake Michigan, Covert Twp, Oct 2010
2014 Saugatuck John Doe (Maxilla w/teeth)**
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
MI - MI - Allegan Co, Male, 18-99, Maxilla w/teeth, Shore of Lake Michigan, Saugatuck, July 2014
1987 Keeler Twp. John Doe (Age 15-22)*
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
MI - MI - Van Buren Co, HispMale, 15-22, Busch Gardens Tee, Keeler Twp, Dec 1987