Unearthed skull during house remodeling in 1978 confirmed as female corpse dating back over 150 years.
The Kane County Coroner's Office identified Esther Granger as the individual whose skull was discovered in 1978, yet she perished over 150 years prior.
Granger hailed from October 1848 in Indiana and tragically passed away at 17 due to complications during childbirth in 1866, as stated by Kane County Coroner Robert Russell during a press conference.
Her mortal remains were put to rest in Merrillville, Indiana, but her skull turned up decades later in a home situated approximately 80 miles northwest in Batavia, Illinois, a suburb situated west of Chicago.
In 1978, while renovating his property, a Batavia resident stumbled upon the skull enclosed in the house's structure. The resident promptly contacted the authorities, initiating the official investigation into the matter.
At the time, DNA testing technology was limited, allowing officials to only determine that the skull belonged to a young woman, possibly residing in her twenties before the 1900s.
The investigation seemed to stall, and the skull was eventually stored at the Batavia Depot Museum. In March 2021, during cleaning, the skull was rediscovered and returned to the authorities. The skull was connected to the 1978 report, reigniting the investigation.
Developments in forensic science technology and the application of forensic investigative genetic genealogy, which blends DNA analysis with traditional genealogy research, brought forth more DNA evidence breakthroughs.
In 2023, Kane County officials enlisted the help of Othram, a Texas-based company specializing in solving cold cases around the nation, to further conduct DNA testing.
Othram produced a DNA profile for the woman, which comprised a family tree, and identified her living relatives. Officials reached out to Granger's great-great grandson, Wayne Svilar, who submitted his DNA for testing, resulting in a match, as he outlined during the news conference on Thursday.
Svilar, a 69-year-old retired police sergeant from Portland, Oregon, expressed doubt when first contacted by the county officials in April regarding his great-great grandmother.
“To be completely honest, we didn’t believe a word of it,” he said. “It took two or three phone calls for me to believe it.”
Svilar, now employed with the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office working with cold cases, described a mix of shock and closure within the family upon receiving the identification news.
The circumstances surrounding Granger's skull ending up 80 miles from her burial site remain unclear, but officials suspect foul play, possibly grave robbing.
“There is no absolute answer as to how Esther ended up in that wall or where the rest of her body is located, but being a victim of grave robbing does fit the bill,” Russell said.
Officials also speculate that the grave robbers may have sold Granger's remains for use as a cadaver in medical studies.
Granger's remains were reinterred at the West Batavia Cemetery.
In light of these discoveries, the Kane County Coroner's Office reached out to Granger's living relatives, including her great-great grandson, US resident Wayne Svilar.
Upon receiving the identification news, Svilar expressed a mix of shock and closure for his family.
