One portion of a mysterious cold case in Bensalem Township has been solved.
Recently, DNA experts were able to identify the remains of a young pregnant woman whose body was found on January 24, 1988 at the bottom of a underground pump house at the abandoned Publicker Distillery along State Road.
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Authorities announced Tuesday afternoon that the Jane Doe’s remains had been confirmed to be Lisa Todd, of Philadelphia, who went missing at 17 years old in October 1985.
Fred Harran, Bensalem’s public safety director, said the investigation into the woman’s death is still open.
“Pregnant ladies don’t just fall into wells and die. Something happened,” District Attorney Matt Weintraub said, adding it is unknown if Tood’s death was a crime.
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Bucks County Coroner Meredith Buck said an autopsy from the 1980s was inconclusive due to the condition of the body. She said there is presently a view of the cause of death underway.
Frank Bender, who was a renowned forensic artist and member of the Vidocq Society before his death, created a sculpture based of the remains in 1994 in an effort to help police identify the body.
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“The case remained unsolved for years but was never forgotten,” Bensalem police said.
In 2007, DNA samples were extracted from the skeletal remains and uploaded into CODIS, the national DNA database. In 2017, DNA was taken from the bones of the fetus. Last year, additional DNA sample was taken by Bode Technology and genome sequencing was performed so a profile could be uploaded into a database.
In 2021, a team of DNA genealogists worked on building a family tree based on the DNA results, and that led to the connection to Todd.
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Detective Chris McMullin, the investigator assigned to the cold case, recently alerted the Todd family their daughter’s remains were located.
St. Mary Medical Center assisted in 2014 by providing a CT scan of the skull. The scan led to creation of a 3D image, Harran said.
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The public safety director thanked the team at Bode Technology, including Yolanda McClary, Cathy DeBuono, and Cynthia LaMonatagne.
Anyone with information that can assist investigators can contact McMullin at 215-633-3719.
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