Wolf River Joanne Doe
Kit # 11529
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office (WI) is working to identify the remains of an unknown female. The partial remains were located in the Wolf River, in the Village of Winneconne, in July of 1985. DNA analysis indicates she is between 30-50 years of age and 99% Irish/Northern English descent. Anthropologists believe she had been in the water 15 years or less. This is a complex case, genetic genealogy has been underway since 2022. There have been challenges with endogamy, common surnames, and a lack of records.
Our victim was given the name Joanne by a family initially identified as sharing DNA with her. This family held a family gathering in Ireland to try and assist with the case. During that meeting, they did not like calling her ‘the remains’ or ‘the victim’ so they named her Joanne.
If you have taken a consumer DNA test, please consider uploading your DNA data to DNA Justice, GEDmatch, and FamilyTreeDNA (and opting in for law enforcement matching where required). Uploading is free and voluntary, and only limited matching information is shared with investigators. Even a distant DNA match could help restore Joanne’s true identity and give her family some closure. If you share DNA with this individual, an investigative genetic genealogist may contact you to assist with the identification effort.
Case Contact:
Lieutenant Chris Braman
Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office
Professional Standards
Task Force Officer- Cold Case (WI)
Federal Bureau of Investigation
4311 Jackson St.
Oshkosh WI 54901
www.co.winnebago.wi.us
cbraman@winnebagocountywi.gov
Office: (920) 236-7341
Fax: (920) 236-7302
