SANDUSKY, Ohio — Genetic genealogy has solved the mystery of a “Jane Doe” found in Sandusky on March 30, 1980.
Now police are looking for help in determining how she died.
Patricia Eleanor Greenwood’s partially decomposed body was found on the beach near Cedar Point Road. She was not able to be identified at the time, but she was Caucasian, an estimated 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed about 120 pounds. She was wearing a “disco style” dress.
Little is known about Greenwood. But it is known that she was born in 1948 in Bay City, Mich., and lived in other parts of the state - Traverse City and Saginaw. She was the youngest of 12 brothers and sisters, all of whom were adopted by other families. Patricia was 11 when she was put up for adoption.
The Porchlight Project, a non-profit group that works with police departments on unsolved cases, including funding DNA and genetic genealogy testing, collaborated with the United States Marshals and Sandusky Police Department on the case.
Porchlight Project has also been collaborating with the Paulding County Sheriff's Department on the 1960 murder of 14-year-old Nancy Eagleson. Her story was featured in a multi-night WTOL investigation in February.
In the Sandusky case, the U.S. Marshals initiated an investigation after finding Greenwood’s case in the file of Judy Martins, a Kent State student who disappeared in 1978. Greenwood's body was exhumed in 2020, with police believing it could be Martins' body. In 2021, the Porchlight Project offered to fund DNA testing. Sandusky Police Detective Eric Costante then sent a tissue sample to Bode Technology, a forensics lab that works with Porchlight Project.
"This was a woman we didn't even have a name for, who was found after washing ashore. After 43 years, we were just curious who she was, and knowing that there were certain technologies that could help, it was worth a shot," Costante said.
The lab was able to extract a DNA sample and was able to build a genetic tree that included the 12 children, who at some point contributed to an ancestry database. The DNA sample hit on a brother, Raymond Greenwood, Jr.
Detective Costante then spoke to Raymond and his sister, Judy. It was determined that the last time a family member had seen her was in 1979. It has been learned that Patricia Greenwood was hanging around people who were involved in the sex trade.
Her death has not been ruled a homicide, but Costante is treating it as a homicide. Police are hoping the public can provide them with more information about Greenwood. At this point, police don't even have a picture of her or know where she was killed and dropped into the lake.
"It is the opinion of investigators, including myself, that she was a victim of a homicide. She had a lot of broken bones along the right side of her body, including femur and pelvis. Those are pretty significant injuries, and it's hard to see how a woman ends up in a lake, wearing a dress, without something happening to her," Costante said.
Porchlight board member Nic Edwards said a name is just the start in solving the mystery of the woman’s death.
“Being able to give Patricia Greenwood her name back is the first step in finding the justice that she so deserves,” Edwards said. “Thank you to the brilliant folks at Bode for the wonderful work that they do.”
Edwards said Porchlight has now used genetic DNA to identify three previously unknown people.
"We go into these cases hoping for success, but it's certainly not guaranteed," Edwards said.
He first became aware of the unidentified body in Sandusky while researching the Judy Martins case for his podcast, "True Crime Garage."
Greenwood was officially identified on March 30, exactly 43 years to the day that she was found on the beach.
Police ask that anyone with information to please call 419-627-5980.
"If she was alive today, she would be 74 years old, and we understand that's difficult in its own right. But we are hopeful someone knew Patricia and can help us connect the final year of her life," Costante said. "We want to figure this thing out."
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