Today the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Troop L at Jonestown have identified the remains of a young girl whose remains were found in a wooded area in Lebanon County in 1973.
Over the years, investigators have attempted to identify Jane Doe through various investigative efforts. Police exhumed Jane Doe's remains in 2016 from the Mount Lebanon Cemetery on Maple Street in Lebanon, in a remote corner of the graveyard overlooking Stoever’s Dam Park.
Working with the PSP, and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Astrea Forensics took on the DNA testing of the 1973 Jane Doe’s remains. The goal was to provide a SNP profile for genetic genealogists to investigate. The laboratory work was funded with help of a NIJ research grant and additional internal funding at Astrea Forensics.
Using 2 strands of rootless hair collected after exhumation, Astrea Forensics successfully sequenced the genome and delivered a SNP profile to Pennsylvania State Police investigators.
The subsequent genealogical search resulted in the identification of Ruth Brenneman, a 14-year old who was last seen on her way to school, over 40 miles from home.
A $5000 reward is offered for any information about Ruth’s disappearance and death.
