A 15-year-old girl from Waukegan has been identified over 50 years later after she disappeared before being found dead by homicide in a river, authorities announced.
The Clinton County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office said they responded on April 11, 1975, to a report of a body found in the Mississippi River north of Clinton, Iowa.
The deceased female was found approximately half a mile south of the Jackson County, Iowa, line, according to Clinton County Sheriff Bill Greenwalt.
An autopsy was conducted but the young female victim was unidentified despite extensive investigative efforts at the time of her discovery.
The autopsy performed in 1975 determined the manner of death to be homicide.
Greenwalt said Monday that investigators continued to work diligently to identify the victim over the years.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation – Major Crime Unit, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Astrea Forensics and the DNA Doe Project worked together and identification has been made through forensic genealogy.
The “Jane Doe” was positively identified over 50 years later as Cheryl Lynn Edwards, who was 15 years old when she was found, Greenwalt said. She was born in 1959.
Cheryl was the daughter of the late Bernice and Leonard Edwards, who lived in Waukegan.
It was discovered as a result of the ongoing investigation that members of Edwards’ family had been searching for her since her disappearance, Greenwalt said.
The girl’s family has been notified of the identification and ongoing investigation.
Investigators believed Edwards was the longest unidentified Jane Doe in Iowa.
Greenwalt said the girl’s identification allows investigators to continue pursuing answers regarding her death.
The homicide investigation remains active and ongoing.
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Waukegan Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation – Major Crime Unit are seeking information regarding Edwards’ life, disappearance, associates and activities prior to her death in 1975.
Greenwalt said additional details on the case are not being released due to the active nature of the investigation.
Those with direct information are asked to call the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office at 563-212-9211, Option 2, or Clinton County CrimeStoppers through the P3Tips App or email at [email protected].