Girl found in wall of home Identified as 19th century teenager

Investigators have determined that a skull discovered in the wall of an Illinois home in 1978 was that of an Indiana teenager who died more than 150 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.

According to a timeline provided by the Kane County Coroner’s Office, the property owner found the skull while renovating the home in Batavia. Police launched an investigation but the case went cold and the skull was relegated to the Batavia Depot Museum for storage.

The skull went forgotten until March of 2021, when museum supervisors discovered it during an inventory audit. They called police, who sent the skull to the coroner’s office. Working with Othram Laboratories, a forensic laboratory in Texas that assists law enforcement, the office was able to build a DNA profile from the skull

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:17 - The Discovery and initial Investigation
1:50 - Re-opening the investigation
2:59 - Identity discovered
5:00 - Why was she in the wall?
8:00 - Grave Robbing / Body Snatching Riots
10:13 - The aftermath for Esther's family

SOURCES:

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/25/nx-s1-5165150/skull-found-house-batavia-illinois-identified-dna-teenager-esther-granger

https://patch.com/illinois/stcharles-il/bp--grave-robbing-riots-and-murder-the-story-of-a-st-19dfeab964

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Granger-4794

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/26/esther-granger-indiana-teenager-skull-dna/75838400007/

https://dnasolves.com/articles/esther-granger-illinois/

https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2024/10/25/final-chapter-for-woman-whose-skull-was-found-in-a-batavia-wall/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXo6pRCKvbM&list=WL&index=4&t=586s