Delaware Police Identify Remains of Woman Who Died in 1907 After Skull Found in 2011

Police in Delaware have identified the remains of a woman who died in 1907 after her skull was found 15 years ago.

New Castle County Police announced Saturday that remains, including the skull, found in the woods of Sellers Park in Wilmington in June 2011 were identified as Hannah Graham Kleitz, a 29-year-old woman who died more than a century ago from a medical illness.

Police initially had little information to go off of. They determined the remains belonged to a white female between the ages of 25 and 50 years old. Police took a DNA profile from her remains, but they couldn’t identify her at the time.

The department’s Cold Case Squad started investigating the case in 2019.

"From 2011 to 2019, there's a lot of scientific changes with DNA and science, and it was a good time to review this case," Master Corporal Richard Chambers with New Castle County Police told Philadelphia news outlet WPVI.

Investigators obtained a three-dimensional scan of Graham Kleitz’s skull and gave it to Joe Mullins, a forensic art professor at George Mason University. Mullins then developed a facial reconstruction to help identify the woman.

"These aren't skulls; these are lost loved ones that have lost their identity," Mullins told WPVI.

Mullins explained the facial reconstruction process: "It's just a skull on an armature. Then you slowly start to build up the muscles, the tissue depth markers, the nose, the lips; the features start to reveal themselves."

In the meantime, investigators reached out to people across the country who voluntarily shared their ancestral information and DNA profiles to try to find the woman's loved ones.

Investigators found a potential familial connection through a genealogical tree last January. When they reached out to the possible relative, they were told about a woman whose mausoleum and grave at Riverview Cemetery in Wilmington were illegally accessed and desecrated in 2002.

“Remains similar to those discovered at Sellers Park had been removed from the grave,” New Castle County Police wrote in a Facebook post about the cold case.

Investigators later confirmed through a DNA comparison that the remains belonged to Graham Kletiz.

On August 27, Graham Kletiz’s extended family, along with authorities who worked on the case, gathered at Riverview Cemetery to return her remains to her mausoleum.

“The New Castle County Division of Police sincerely thanks everyone who contributed their time, compassion, and dedication to helping resolve this case, provide closure to Hannah’s family, and ensure Hannah could finally return to her rightful resting place,” the Facebook post read.

The Independent has reached out to the Wilmington Police Department for comment on whether anyone has been charged in connection with the desecration of Graham Kletiz’s grave.