Identified! IL - Jefferson Co, Wht Fem 30-50, 166UFIL, wry neck syndrome, Jan'93 - Susan Hope Lund

[DSCrime]

From a Jane Doe case to a homicide: Investigators want to know who killed Susan Lund

"We are still dealing with someone who died in a really traumatic way and there are still questions that aren’t answered,” said Anthony Redgrave, Lead Forensic Genealogist.

“We are looking into other remains that might match because given where Susan disappeared from and where her remains were found there’s a wide range of places where we could look,” he said.

“We are scouring news reports and databases from the area and from the states that were involved in the original investigation of her disappearance to see if anything showed up in that area,” said Jessie Velstra, Missing Persons Specialist. “Then we are going to attempt to see if we can have those compared with her sample if there’s already DNA in the system for those remains.”

 

[LucyOso]

RIP Susan

 

[imstilla.grandma]

DNA leads to identity of ‘Ina Jane Doe’ found decapitated in Illinois park in 1992

When Susan Lund failed to come home from the grocery store on Christmas Eve 1992, rumors swirled over what happened to the Tennessee mother of three. On Friday, authorities in Illinois answered that question.

www.kiro7.com

Forensic researchers, law enforcement ID ‘Ina Jane Doe’ in 30-year-old cold case

A woman whose remains were found nearly 30 years ago in a state park near Ina has been identified.

www.kfvs12.com

 

[cvaldez1975]

DNA leads to identity of ‘Ina Jane Doe’ found decapitated in Illinois park in 1992

When Susan Lund failed to come home from the grocery store on Christmas Eve 1992, rumors swirled over what happened to the Tennessee mother of three. On Friday, authorities in Illinois answered that question.

www.kiro7.com

Forensic researchers, law enforcement ID ‘Ina Jane Doe’ in 30-year-old cold case

A woman whose remains were found nearly 30 years ago in a state park near Ina has been identified.

www.kfvs12.com

that second link was really in depth. im so sorry her kids thought she left them.

 

[bearfossils]

I read in a newspaper article that a neighbor said the Lunds did not own a car and it was not unusual for Susan to walk long distances.

I read this too, and that the children have distinct memories of the mother leaving and their father remaining with them. It’s possible that a combination of being pregnant, the weather, and the long walk led her to hitchhike.

 

[AubrieC]

Thinking about Susan and her family today. I doubt anyone has heard anything but are there any new leads in her case since identification? Can't find anything new.

 

[cnmccarthy]

“When Crystal was a teenager, her much-older cousin told her he had seen Paul choke Susan and slam her on the hood of a car out of anger. When Susan’s remains were identified, she contacted this same cousin again to inform him, and he told her the “exact same story.”

‘What happened to Susan Lund?’ Family revisits mystery 30 years after Clarksville woman’s disappearance, death - ClarksvilleNow.com

30 years after Susan Lund's disappearance, her case has finally been reopened and her family is searching for answers. What happened to Susan Lund?

clarksvillenow.com

A lot of great information.

 

[cenazoic]

There’s a new book out about the identification of Susan Lund (as well as discussion of various investigative techniques) called Lay Them to Rest, by Laurah Norton.

 

[Springrain]

“When Crystal was a teenager, her much-older cousin told her he had seen Paul choke Susan and slam her on the hood of a car out of anger. When Susan’s remains were identified, she contacted this same cousin again to inform him, and he told her the “exact same story.”

‘What happened to Susan Lund?’ Family revisits mystery 30 years after Clarksville woman’s disappearance, death - ClarksvilleNow.com

30 years after Susan Lund's disappearance, her case has finally been reopened and her family is searching for answers. What happened to Susan Lund?

clarksvillenow.com

A lot of great information.

Thanks for posting this link! Some major points I wanted to share from the article:-

- In August 1993, a woman in Alabama came forward to police claiming to be Susan. Obviously, she wasn't, since Susan's (unidentified) head had been found in Illinois seven months before. This woman claimed that she was Susan and that she did not want to be bothered, wanted to be left alone. Alabama LE were satisfied it was her. Susan's family went to Alabama to meet the woman and immediately knew it was not her. Despite the family knowing the woman wasn't actually Susan it took years to get the case reopened.
- Around the time the unfortunate young girls in the Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park came across Susan's head January 1993, there were reports from "several" park visitors of a headless body in the park's lake. As far as Susan's daughter Crystal knows these reports were never followed up on. If it is accurate what Crystal has been told, IMO I don't even know what to say at this point.
- Susan's husband/Crystal's father, Paul, died in 2020. Crystal states that she does not want to blame her dad, but that there are some things that don't make sense to her, and that she had heard stories about how Paul had mistreated Susan. She stated that after Susan's disappearance, her grandmother and uncle (on Paul's side) came to the house and immediately got everyone new bed linens and blankets. She also stated that, when she went to live with Paul's parents/her grandparents while he was in Korea after Susan's death, her grandparents expressed a strong distaste for Susan. They told her that Susan had had a boyfriend who she had allowed to molest Crystal, which she knew was not true and had never happened. When Crystal was older, her older cousin reported to her that he had seen Paul "Choke Susan and slam her on the hood of a car" during a fit of rage, and repeated this many years later when Crystal contacted him to tell her Susan had been found and ID'd.
- A little bit about Susan in life: She LOVED animals, and would rescue cats and dogs and bring them home. As an adult Susan rescued kittens still, and she rescued a kitten named Baby that she gave to Crystal. Aside from loving animals, Susan was also a tomboy, and she liked taking Crystal on walks and ice cream dates as well as playdates to play with other local kids. She sounded like a lovely person.

These were just some major points I picked out, and I know I basically repeated the above quote, but I just wanted to add some context! Really, really sad story. I feel terrible for Susan, Crystal, and everyone else who loved her.

 

[tarabull]

Case of missing Tennessee woman, whose head was found 30 years ago, still haunts family: ‘We need answers’

Laurah Norton, co-creator of "The Fall Line," has written a new book, "Lay Them to Rest: On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless."

www.foxnews.com

 

[cyberpanda]

There’s a new book out about the identification of Susan Lund (as well as discussion of various investigative techniques) called Lay Them to Rest, by Laurah Norton.

I’m reading this book now, it’s fantastic. Very informative not only on this case but with John/Jane doe cases in general.