JoAnn Vickie Smith Obituary, – The remains of a young Black woman discovered near Seneca, Illinois have finally been identified after more than 47 years.
Through the use of DNA and forensics, authorities have confirmed that the remains belong to JoAnn “Vickie” Smith, an adopted woman from Ohio.
Previously known as Jane Seneca Doe, her body was found in 1971 with a gunshot wound to the head and was exhumed in 2018 for further investigation.
The Grundy County Coroner’s Office initiated the renewed effort to identify Smith in 2017, and with the assistance of the DNA Doe Project, a family tree was constructed to narrow down the search. The process of identification took over four years, but the team’s dedication and perseverance paid off.
African-American Jane and John Does are often more challenging to identify due to underrepresentation in public databases, and her status further complicated Smith’s case as an adopted individual.
However, the discovery of a branch in her family tree led to the identification of her birth mother and the retrieval of her original birth certificate and adoption records. This is an ongoing investigation, and further details may emerge in the future.
