The remains found on a Lake Michigan shoreline in 1988 have been identified as Dorothy Glanton, a Chicago resident who disappeared on Dec. 9, 1987. The body, long known as "New Buffalo Jane Doe," was discovered April 8, 1988. The cold case was reopened in 2023 and solved with help from the DNA Doe Project, whose genetic genealogy work built family trees that led to the confirmation. Michigan State Police say the identification brings nearly four decades of uncertainty to an end for Glanton’s family.
Cold Case Closed: 1988 Lake Michigan Remains Identified as Missing Chicago Woman Dorothy Glanton
The remains found on a Lake Michigan shoreline in 1988 have been identified as Dorothy Glanton, a Chicago resident who disappeared on Dec. 9, 1987. The body, long known as "New Buffalo Jane Doe," was discovered April 8, 1988. The cold case was reopened in 2023 and solved with help from the DNA Doe Project, whose genetic genealogy work built family trees that led to the confirmation. Michigan State Police say the identification brings nearly four decades of uncertainty to an end for Glanton’s family.
08:39 PM, 11/13/2025Society
NEW BUFFALO, Mich.
Authorities in southwest Michigan say they have identified human remains found on a Lake Michigan shoreline in 1988 as those of a missing Chicago woman.
Michigan State Police reported the remains belong to Dorothy Glanton, a Chicago resident who disappeared after leaving her home on Dec. 9, 1987. Her remains were discovered on April 8, 1988, near New Buffalo and for decades the case was publicly known only as "New Buffalo Jane Doe."
The case went cold but was reopened in 2023 when the Michigan State Police partnered with the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit organization that uses investigative genetic genealogy to identify unidentified remains. DNA extracted from the remains was used to build family trees and trace relatives, a process that ultimately confirmed the woman’s identity as Dorothy Glanton.
"This identification brings closure to a family that has wondered for nearly four decades what happened to their loved one," said Sgt. John Moore of the Michigan State Police Niles Post, who led the renewed inquiry. "We’re grateful for the dedication of all those who worked tirelessly on this case."
When examiners first processed the remains in 1988, they estimated the victim to be a white woman in her 40s or 50s. Genetic genealogy later corrected that profile, showing the victim was Black and in her 70s at the time of death, a refinement that helped investigators identify the correct family connections.
Authorities have not publicly released additional information about the circumstances of Glanton’s death. The identification, however, provides long-awaited answers for her family after nearly 40 years.