INDEPENDENCE, Mo. —

The Independence Police Department announced progress in a cold case from 1988 thanks to advancements in DNA analysis.

The case began in 1988, when a construction crew discovered a human skull in a remote area of eastern Independence. Advertisement

Investigators then uncovered roughly 40% of a skeleton, which was sent to the University of Missouri’s Department of Anthropology for analysis. The remains stayed there until October 2024, when they were returned to the Independence Police Department.

An IPD investigator took over the case and learned that no “modern efforts” had been made to identify the remains.

Working with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, investigators learned state funding would help support the analyses of the remains, and they were sent to a Te

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