In a remarkable feat of forensic science and technological persistence, Loyola University Maryland students contributed to solving the oldest cold case in Howard County's history. According to FOX Baltimore, the combined efforts of these students led to the identification of a woman known as "Jane Doe," since she died in 1971.
The unidentified woman was finally named as Sadie Belle Murray, who originally hailed from Pennsylvania and was born on September 7, 1924. This breakthrough occurred when Loyola forensic science students interned with the Howard County Police Department, where they documented, digitized evidence, and revisited fingerprints. One student, Bethany Bessling, took the initiative to send a fingerprint to every state police department countrywide, as detailed in a press release obtained by FOX Baltimore.
Murray's identification led to a poignant reunion of her two surviving children, who had been separated and placed in orphanages following their mother's death. As reported by CBS News, these siblings, Charles Sharkey and Mildred Marie Cantwell, both in their late 70s and early 80s, were brought back together after seven decades apart. "I thought I'd never connect again with my family," Charles Sharkey stated.
Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der heralded the cold case investigations, celebrating the success in bridging a family after 70 years. "The work done by our cold case unit to solve a mystery of more than 50 years, and then bring siblings back together after 70 years apart, is nothing short of extraordinary," Der said in a statement detailed by CBS News. Murray's cause of death was the result of an assault in 1971, and Howard County Police are ongoing in their efforts to unearth more information about her tragic end.
