Esther Ann Granger: Solving a 150-Year-Old Mystery with DNA
DNA testing has solved a decades-old mystery in Illinois. A skull discovered in 1978, hidden within a wall of a home in Batavia, has now been identified as belonging to Esther Ann Granger, a teenager who died in 1866.
Granger was just 18 when she passed, and it’s suspected that her remains were either disturbed from her grave or used for scientific purposes—a common practice in the 19th century.
Recent advancements in DNA analysis, including genetic genealogy, connected her with modern relatives, confirming her identity.
Her remains have since been reinterred, bringing closure to this historical cold case after nearly 150 years.