The Lost and the Found

https://clarksvillenow.com/local/missing-woman-found-remains-of-clarksville-woman-susan-lund-missing-identified-in-illinois/

Remains of young Clarksville mom Susan Lund, missing since 1992, identified in Illinois

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Human remains found in Illinois in 1993 were identified this week as being those of a Clarksville woman who went missing 29 years ago, and they were discovered only a month after her disappearance.

The Jefferson County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office and Redgrave Research Forensic Services have confirmed the identity of “Ina Jane Doe,” an unidentified woman whose remains were discovered in 1993, the Sheriff’s Office announced in a news conference this morning.

Susan Lund, 25, was last seen by her family on Christmas Eve 1992, when she reportedly left her home in Clarksville to walk to a grocery store. Her husband reported her missing soon after.

One month later, on Jan. 27, 1993, near the town of Ina, Illinois, the head of a white female was discovered on the side of a wooded roadway in Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park. The woman was estimated between 30 and 50 years of age, and may have had torticollis or “wry neck syndrome,” a condition that may have caused her head to have a sideways tilt during life, according to a news release from Redgrave.

The woman’s identity remained unknown for over two decades.
New technology applied

In February 2021, Dr. Amy Michael, assistant professor of anthropology, University of New Hampshire, approached Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to offer a reexamination of the case using updated forensic methods. Writer and researcher Laurah Norton collaborated with Michael on the reanalysis. It was determined that the woman likely did not appear significantly asymmetrical during life, and a new forensic image was created by artist Carl Koppelman.

“As forensic methods are updated and refined, it is critical to reevaluate cold cases and utilize new approaches, like forensic genetic genealogy, alongside anthropology to achieve identification,” Michael said in the release.

Meanwhile, samples from Ina Jane Doe’s remains were sent to Astrea Forensics, a laboratory in Santa Cruz, California, to create a DNA profile suitable for using forensic genetic genealogy. A DNA profile was provided to Redgrave, a genealogy company in Massachusetts, who then uploaded the data file to GEDmatch on Feb. 3, 2022.

Anthony Redgrave, co-founder of Redgrave Research, said in the release, “My team was honored to be brought in as part of the collaboration to identify this woman, and had Susan’s family in mind long before we discovered her name.”

Redgrave’s genealogy team arrived at a potential match within a day, then found out that Lund had been reported missing, with no date of death. The potential ID was passed to law enforcement, who then followed up with family members of Susan Lund. A DNA sample was provided by a sibling for direct comparison. On March 6, it was confirmed that Ina Jane Doe is Susan Lund.

The collaborating investigators, scientists and genealogists extend their deepest sympathies to Lund’s family and friends, the release said. Any information about the actions and/or whereabouts of Lund on or following Dec. 24, 1992, should be directed to Detective Capt. Bobby Wallace at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 618-244-8004, or email bwallace@jeffil.us.
About Susan Lund

Lund had three young children, all under age 6, and was pregnant when she went missing from her home on Harrier Court, off Jack Miller Boulevard, according to Leaf-Chronicle archives from 1993. Her husband, Paul Lund, was a Fort Campbell soldier.

Clarksville Police abandoned the search for Susan Lund after two weeks, saying they believed she had left Clarksville “by her own choice” and was alive and well living in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where they said she was seen the week after Christmas.

A few weeks later, Paul Lund said his wife had been seen on Interstate 65 near Louisville, “looking thin, pale, attired in the same clothes she was wearing the night she vanished,” according to a Feb. 24, 1993, Leaf-Chronicle article.

Paul Lund said he believed his wife had been kidnapped, because she had her checkbook with her but had not written any checks.

Leaf-Chronicle archives from 1993 were used in this report.