After 20 years of uncertainty, the New York City Police Department has finally identified the remains of a teenage girl found buried in the basement of a Manhattan building in 2003. Patricia Kathleen McGlone, a 16-year-old from Brooklyn, has been named as the victim, previously known as “Midtown Jane Doe.”
The gruesome discovery was made by construction workers during a demolition project. Patricia’s skeleton was found rolled up in a carpet and covered in concrete, along with a gold signet ring with the initials “PMcG,” a bra, a 1969 cent, and a green plastic toy soldier. These items provided clues about her life, but the case remained unsolved for years.
Despite the efforts of the NYPD, Patricia’s identity remained unknown, and she was never reported missing. However, investigators never gave up, and in 2017, they reexamined the case with renewed determination. Advances in forensic technology provided a glimmer of hope.
In 2023, a breakthrough was finally achieved after painstaking efforts to construct a DNA profile from Patricia’s degraded bones. Investigators found a DNA match on a public genealogy website, leading them to a distant relative on Patricia’s father’s side. This crucial evidence, combined with the initials on the ring, pointed them in the right direction.
Exhaustive genealogical research and DNA expertise helped locate Patricia’s mother’s side of the family, uncovering details about her life. Born on April 20, 1953, to Bernard McGlone and Patricia Gilligan, she was an only child who collected benefits from her father until his death in 1963. School records showed a young woman who attended Catholic school in Brooklyn but missed many lessons in late 1968 and early 1969.
Detectives speculate that Patricia may have been pregnant at the time of her death, based on her middle school records and the toy soldier found with her bones. She was likely a runaway, and the investigation revealed she was married, although details about her husband and their life together remain unclear due to the ongoing case.
The NYPD is now focusing on unraveling the mystery of Patricia’s death, and Officer Ryan Glas is appealing to the public for assistance. “Anyone who knew Patricia, lived in the building where she was found, or has information about her husband… any information at all could be crucial,” Detective Glas emphasizes.
Patricia’s story serves as a poignant reminder of a life cut short. Detective Glas, a father of three girls, hopes that solving this case will bring closure to Patricia’s family and shed light on the events that unfolded all those years ago.
