The Lost and the Found

The female was found in the Mississippi River near Lilydale, Ramsey County, Minnesota

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/805ufmn.html

Case File: 805UFMN
The Doe Network



Unidentified Female
Date of Discovery: June 11, 1976
Location of Discovery: Lilydale, Ramsey County, Minnesota
Estimated Date of Death: 1976
State of Remains: Unknown
Cause of Death: Unknown

Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate
Estimated Age: 25-30
Race: Unsure
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 150 lbs
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: None
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Not Available
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Socks, Blue shorts, Shoes
Jewelry: None
Additional Personal Items: None

Case History
Female victim was found in the Mississippi River, Lilydale, Minnesota

Investigating Agency(s)
If you have any information about this case please contact;
Agency Name: Ramsey County Medical Examiners Office
Agency Contact Person: Micheal B. McGee
Agency Phone Number: 651-266-1700
E-Mail
Agency Case Number: 39026
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: UP # 4797
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Information Source(s)
NamUs

Lilydale, Minnesota

The bluffs along the Mississippi River

Identified as 21-year-old Roberta Seyfert of Tucson, Arizona.



https://dnadoeproject.org/case/lilydale-jane-doe-1976/

Status: Identified
On February 4, 2022, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office (RCMEO) and the DNA Doe Project (DDP) announced the identity of the remains of a woman discovered near Lilydale, Minnesota in 1976 as that of Roberta Seyfert. Using investigative genetic genealogy, DDP was able to solve the forty-five-year-old cold case of the woman known only as Lilydale Jane Doe 1976 since her body was discovered.

Roberta SeyfertRoberta Seyfert was born in 1954 in Tucson, Arizona. Her body was found floating in the Mississippi River on June 11, 1976. Exactly how long her body had been in the water is unknown, but authorities estimate she died weeks earlier in 1976. Ms. Seyfert would have been 22 at the time of her death.

Using a DNA sample previously taken from the remains, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office contacted the DNA Doe Project in March of 2021 hoping to identify the woman using investigative genetic genealogy. The sample was processed to create a DNA profile that could be uploaded to GEDmatch, a public database, and by late June, 2021, the volunteer investigative genetic genealogists began to analyze the genetic matches.

The closest DNA matches were distant cousins. DDP’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Research Team traced the Doe’s paternal line back to early eighteenth-century Luxembourg to find a common ancestor who had immigrated to the United States in the mid-1840’s. On July 3, 2021, the team arrived at a potential candidate for Jane Doe and notified the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Team Leader Rebecca Somerhalder stated, “Even though the highest match was in the distant cousin range, our team of investigative genetic genealogists were able to quickly follow the DNA connections which led to giving Roberta her name back. We are honored to have had the opportunity to work on this case and to have played a part in bringing her home to her family.”

The DNA Doe Project wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office and Dr. Butch Huston, who entrusted the case to the DNA Doe Project; Michael Woods of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Forensic Science Services; HudsonAlpha Discovery for sequencing; Kevin Lord of Saber Investigations for bioinformatics; GEDmatch for providing their database; our generous donors who contributed to this case; and DDP’s dedicated teams of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists who work tirelessly to bring victims home