Identified! IL - Batavia, WhtFem UP89934, UnkAge, in wall of residence, Nov'78 - Esther Ann Granger

[DS2021]

Zygomatic Fractures

Following fractures of the nasal bone, zygomatic fractures are the second most common fractures of the face and predominantly occur in males during their twenties and thirties.

www.news-medical.net

The most common cause of zygomatic fractures is violent altercation. This is then followed by motor vehicle accident (MVA). These fractures can also occur during falls or activities such as cycling or skiing

 

[DS2021]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ucc.ie/en/media/academic/dentalschool/patientinfoleaflets/FracturedCheekbone.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwikwOHK1oGFAxU1FVkFHVKcAvkQ5YIJegQIGhAA&usg=AOvVaw0_93BVG_PEtwzDhqSSw1Ug

Even if you have plates and screws to hold your cheekbone in place, it still takes about six weeks for the bone to heal completely

So i would assume she had recieved recent facial trauma. Unfortunately we dont know if she recieved any treatments for that, or what the procedure would have been in the time period she died

 

[DS2021]

right temporal not present

and damage to the right zygomatic.

 

[dotr]

Oct. 24, 2024 rbbm

Coroner to provide update on woman's skull found inside Batavia home in 1978

In 1978, a woman's skull was found behind a wall furing a remodeling project at a Batvia home.

abc7chicago.com

'KANE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- The Kane County Coroner is set to provide on update on a four-decade old case on Thursday.'

''Ten months later, the coroner said the DNA technology has helped them identify the woman using forensic genetic genealogy.
A press conference is set for 10 a.m. Thursday.''

 

[lightofmine99]

I take it there will be a livestream?

NamUs Archive (10/24/24)

 

[dotr]

I take it there will be a livestream?

NamUs Archive (10/24/24)

rbbm

Skull found in Batavia in 1978 identified as likely Indiana 'grave robbery' victim, officials say

Kane County officials and investigators on Thursday revealed the identity of the woman whose skull was found in 1978 in west suburban Batavia.

www.fox32chicago.com

''Tests also indicated the skull was "decades older" than when it was found in 1978, the coroner's office said. Kane County Coroner Rob Russell told FOX 32 late last year the skull could date back to 100 to 150 years old.
The Kane County Coroner's Office and forensic investigators Othram Laboratory are holding a 10 a.m. press conference to announce their findings. That update is being streamed live in the media player at the top of this story.'

 

[dotr]

After 45 years, Kane County Jane Doe (1978) is Identified

Kane County Coroner’s Office and Batavia Police Department Team with Othram to Identify 1978 Jane Doe

dnasolves.com

'A woman, whose remains were discovered in Batavia, Illinois, is now identified as 17-year-old Esther Ann Granger, born 175 years ago.'​

'Esther was one of six children. She was born nearly 176 years ago on October 26, 1848. Investigators believe that, at the age of 17, Esther died due to complications of childbirth in 1866. Although Granger was originally buried in Lake County, Indiana, two possible scenarios explain why her skull was found in a Batavia home. Investigators beliveve that her grave was robbed or her remains were used by a physicians as a scientific specimen, a common practice at the time of Esther's death.'

 

[kforbes862]

This is now one of the oldest cases Othram has solved, likely deceased in 1866. R.I.P Esther

 

[summergirl1]

It reminds me of the case below. Sometimes these type of found remains are disturbed decades later through cemetery vandalism (bored teenagers, etc) but these two cases possibly shed some light on grave robbing in that era so the remains could be studied by physicians, etc as an above article points out. That wasn't something genetic genealogy was initially thought of in connection of, but it's certainly interesting that it seems to be shedding light on it. Identified! - OH - Fem, bones, found in garage, 13-20, New London, Sept 2016 - Hallie Armstrong, died in 1881

 

[MadMcGoo]

Wow! What a story. Congrats and thanks to the team at Othram!

Rest peacefully now Esther.

 

[lightofmine99]

Not sure what I would do if I came across bones that a relative owned, even if the signs pointed to them being legal (or mostly legal) medical specimens, but who is like, “Yeah let’s just hide these bones in the walls.” Or who thinks, “I shall store my medical specimen in the walls.” MOO.

When was the home built?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Not sure what I would do if I came across bones that a relative owned, even if the signs pointed to them being legal (or mostly legal) medical specimens, but who is like, “Yeah let’s just hide these bones in the walls.” Or who thinks, “I shall store my medical specimen in the walls.” MOO.

When was the home built?

That IS the question...how old is the house and who lived there in the past???
I hope the investigation stays open.

 

[summergirl1]

It was an old business building with apartments above. Apparently it had been a barbershop most recently (as of 1978). I wonder if a doctor's office was ever in the building..

 

[HmmMysterious]

Esther's FindAGrave page, created in 2007: Esther Ann Granger Peck (1848-1866) - Find a...

Here's another article about her identification: DNA identifies skull, bones found in Batavia wall in 1978 as Indiana teen

Esther's descendant, who lives in Camas, Washington, is a retired cold case investigator himself.

 

[dotr]

Skull found in Batavia, Illinois home in 1978 identified as teen who died in 1866

The skull has been identified as Esther Granger, a 17-year-old girl who died in Indiana, in 1866.

www.cbsnews.com

''A hand drawn image of 17-year-old Esther Granger, who died in Indiana in 1866, and a resin version of the partial skull that was found in a home in Batavia, Illinois, in 1978. DNA testing recently confirmed the skull is Granger.Kane County Coroner

Russell theorized that the girl might have been the victim of a grave robbery after she died, or that doctors at the time of her death might have purchased her remains to learn more about human anatomy.

The City of Batavia paid for Granger's burial at a cemetery in Lake County, Indiana. Othram, the lab in this case is also working on several high-profile unsolved murder cases, including the 1982 Chicago area Tylenol murders.''

 

[jennytrevor]

Poor Esther. Not only did she die in childbirth at the very young age of 17, she also had the misfortune of being married off at just 16 to a 27 year old man. And then was the victim of grave robbery!

 

[summergirl1]

She was buried in what is now an abandoned cemetery, a small local cemetery, possibly mainly a family cemetery. She had a readable headstone in 1956. By 1988, only a few were left, and there may not be any today. She died in late May, and if grave robbers got her body right away, that would have been a good time of year for them to get a body in Indiana, on an interesting note. The cemetery may also have been isolated or overgrown even then so a good location to cover up what they were doing, too. The cemetery is not viewable from the road according to the below source, who knows about back then. The info on the cemetery comes from the following source-

Burials in Sturdevant Cemetery, Merrillville Indiana

 

[Bounceycat]

She was buried in what is now an abandoned cemetery, a small local cemetery, possibly mainly a family cemetery. She had a readable headstone in 1956. By 1988, only a few were left, and there may not be any today. She died in late May, and if grave robbers got her body right away, that would have been a good time of year for them to get a body in Indiana, on an interesting note. The cemetery may also have been isolated or overgrown even then so a good location to cover up what they were doing, too. The cemetery is not viewable from the road according to the below source, who knows about back then. The info on the cemetery comes from the following source-

Burials in Sturdevant Cemetery, Merrillville Indiana

OK, I hate to ask this...but why is late May a preferable time for grave robbers? Considering how slow transportation was back then, I'd think warmer weather would not be advantageous.

 

[summergirl1]

There's no snow on the ground and the ground isn't frozen. Of course, that's true of other times of the year besides late May in Indiana. Here's some interesting info I came across online- In Need of Cadavers, 19th-Century Medical Students Raided Baltimore's Graves

 

[Bounceycat]

There's no snow on the ground and the ground isn't frozen. Of course, that's true of other times of the year besides late May in Indiana. Here's some interesting info I came across online- In Need of Cadavers, 19th-Century Medical Students Raided Baltimore's Graves

Ahh, thank you. I figured cold would be better for preservation and smell reasons.